despondency
Americannoun
Synonym Usage
See despair.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of despondency
Explanation
Despondency is a sad emotional state — much like depression. If you're in a state of despondency, you're feeling hopeless and super bummed out. Despondency is one of many emotional states that are not pleasant — it's a kind of extreme sadness. Stubbing your toe wouldn't trigger despondency, but the death of a family member or friend might. When people lose their jobs or experience failure, despondency can happen — they feel despondent. Despondency can include not only sadness, but feelings of hopelessness. It's a terrible way to feel, and it's not easy to get over it.
Vocabulary lists containing despondency
A Wrinkle in Time
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Bill Parcells' Hall of Fame Induction Speech
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The Gene
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Arsenal's joy in Italy contrasted with despondency in Norway for Premier League heavyweights Man City.
From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026
Certainly, hope is an important psychological motivator for many people, and relying solely on doom-and-gloom messaging could push some people into despondency.
From Salon ● Dec. 1, 2024
Juniper Hills resident Diane Swick, 60, transitioned from joy to despondency quickly in early August.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2024
As much as Italian joy will linger, so too will Scotland despondency.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2024
“I too still believed that I had found something new,” he would later write, with more than a tinge of envy and despondency.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
