despair

American  

[dih-spair] / dɪˈspɛər /

noun

1. loss of hope; hopelessness.

   Synonyms:

   disheartenment, gloom

   Antonyms:

   hope

2. someone or something that causes hopelessness.

   He is the despair of his mother.

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verb (used without object)

• despairs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• despaired,
  past participle,  past
• despairing
  present participle

1. to lose, give up, or be without hope (often followed byof ).

   to despair of humanity.

verb (used with object)

• despairs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• despaired,
  past participle,  past
• despairing
  present participle

1. Obsolete. to give up hope of.

despair British  

/ dɪˈspɛə /

verb

1. to lose or give up hope

   I despair of his coming

2. obsolete (tr) to give up hope of; lose hope in

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noun

1. total loss of hope

2. 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.

Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

• despairer
  noun
• self-despair
  noun
• undespaired
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• despairing
  present
• despaired
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• despair
  simple
• despairs
  simple
• have despaired
  perfect
• has despaired
  perfect
• am despairing
  progressive
• are despairing
  progressive
• is despairing
  progressive
• have been despairing
  perfect progressive
• has been despairing
  perfect progressive

Past

• despaired
  simple
• had despaired
  perfect
• was despairing
  progressive
• were despairing
  progressive
• had been despairing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will despair
  simple
• will have despaired
  perfect
• will be despairing
  progressive
• will have been despairing
  perfect progressive

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”)

Explanation

Despair is the feeling of not having any hope left. If you completely forgot to study for your final exam in math, you might feel despair when your teacher passes out the test. Despair can also refer to someone or something that causes you to worry or be sad. Unfortunately, some children are the despair of their parents. The verb despair means to lose hope. Despair is from Latin desperare "to be without hope," from the prefix de- "without" plus sperare "to hope," from spes "hope."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

despair despairs despaired despairing

"It brought back the fear, anxiety, and despair we experienced at the height of war," she said, requesting anonymity for security concerns.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

After days of despair, he said he made a different choice — to survive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

But remember, despair isn’t activism—it’s just another impediment to progress.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Many of the factors behind these deaths of despair, including addiction, poor diet and stress, also contribute to people spending more of their lives in ill health.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Anya’s heart still jumped, but with despair rather than hope.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Marriage is the main topic, both the joys and despairs, in numbers that make ambivalence energizing, fun, poignant and, most important, resonantly true.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2024

When her TV show is canceled, the actress does what you might predict given the movie’s exaggerated look and tone: She despairs at what she sees in the mirror and reaches for an outrageous solution.

From New York Times ● May 24, 2024

Kakar despairs at the plight of Afghans who remain in Pakistan.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2024

Then Isabel’s despairs stack, pressing her to expand her inquiry beyond the United States and diagnose history’s gravest injuries.

From Salon ● Jan. 26, 2024

Another story: the emperor despairs of Ending a horse able to run a thousand li.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

But closer to the high-security perimeter, a crowd of worshippers despaired as police officers blocked their route.

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

After deep contemplation, she despaired, writing: “Nature’s silence is its one remark, and every flake of world is a chip off that old mute and immutable block.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

As Aduba ran through scenes in which Chisholm triumphantly campaigned or despaired at the obstacles to her success, “You could hear a pin drop,” Blanchett said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2025

You despaired because buying merchandise—both Fanatics’ own and products it retails—did not satiate your appetite to do e-commerce with this company.

From Slate ● Mar. 7, 2025

They despaired, sure that the end was near for all of them.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

As wars multiply, Pope Leo’s aides aren’t despairing about the possibilities of diplomacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026

“Especially in despairing economic times we need to ensure people aren’t being denied access.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

This was Spurs in microcosm with mistake piled upon mistake – the self-destruct button pressed with despairing regularity.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

But Nina soon found herself despairing, once she realized she could not leave her hiding place.

From Barron's ● Feb. 2, 2026

For the despairing moments in between, I was left in my personal darkness.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

Related Words

• anguish
• desperation
• despondency
• discouragement
• gloom
• melancholy
• misery
• pain
• sorrow