despair
Americannoun
-
loss of hope; hopelessness.
- Synonyms:
- disheartenment, gloom
- Antonyms:
- hope
-
someone or something that causes hopelessness.
He is the despair of his mother.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to lose or give up hope
I despair of his coming
-
obsolete (tr) to give up hope of; lose hope in
noun
-
total loss of hope
-
a person or thing that causes hopelessness or for which there is no hope
Usage
What does despair mean? To despair is to lose all hope. Despair can also be used as a noun meaning complete hopelessness.Despair usually involves deep sadness and emotional pain about something that has happened or that hasn’t happened—something usually triggers the despair. This is especially the case in serious and very negative situations that involve finality, such as death or a devastating loss in a political election.The verb despair implies that one is giving up—that they believe there is nothing more to be done to make things better. When someone says, “Don’t despair,” they’re telling you not to lose hope—to keep trying or to believe that things can improve.When used as a verb, despair is sometimes followed by the word of and the thing for which hope has been lost, as in I have despaired of her ever coming back. Much less commonly, despair can be used as a noun referring to someone or something that causes despair, as in He is the despair of the nation. The word despairing can be used as an adjective to describe people who are experiencing despair or things that involve despair, as in a despairing look. Example: He was filled with despair at the sight of the scoreboard, which showed an insurmountable lead with only minutes left.
Related Words
Despair, desperation, despondency, discouragement, hopelessness refer to a state of mind caused by circumstances that seem too much to cope with. Despair suggests total loss of hope, which may be passive or may drive one to furious efforts, even if at random: in the depths of despair; courage born of despair. Desperation is usually an active state, the abandonment of hope impelling to a furious struggle against adverse circumstances, with utter disregard of consequences: an act of desperation when everything else had failed. Despondency is a state of deep gloom and disheartenment: a spell of despondency. Discouragement is a loss of courage, hope, and ambition because of obstacles, frustrations, etc.: His optimism yielded to discouragement. Hopelessness is a loss of hope so complete as to result in a more or less permanent state of passive despair: a state of hopelessness and apathy.
Other Word Forms
- despairer noun
- self-despair noun
- undespaired adjective
Etymology
Origin of despair
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English despeir (noun), despeiren (verb), from Anglo-French despeir, Old French despoir (noun), desperer (verb), from Latin dēspērāre “to be without hope,” from dē- de- + spērāre “to hope” (derivative of spēs “hope”)
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.
The care of relative strangers lifting up Grainier from the pit of despair.
From Los Angeles Times
Their despair is compounded by having to cancel holidays due to the pressure of a relentless conveyor belt of cases.
From BBC
It was a year that knocked me flat, tearing me apart from so many things that once anchored me, setting me afloat in a sea of guilt and despair and ultimate uncertainty.
From Los Angeles Times
Maybe it’s the overwhelming despair and helplessness about a problem that is still devouring our globe.
From Salon
This grassroots activism, characterized by humor and optimism rather than despair, suggested that democratic participation remained a viable path forward.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
