despairing

[dih-spair-ing]

adjective

1. given to despair or hopelessness.

   Antonyms: hopeful

2. indicating despair.

   a despairing look.

despairing

/ dɪˈspɛərɪŋ /

adjective

1. marked by or resulting from despair; hopeless or desperate

Other Word Forms

• despairingly adverb
• undespairing adjective
• undespairingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of despairing¹

First recorded in 1585–95; despair + -ing ²

Synonym Study

See hopeless.

Example Sentences

This, in turn, can drive despairing male viewers ever further into the manosphere.

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Many professional teachers have quit, despairing at the low pay.

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Her despairing stories about infidelity and lies unfold across 14 chapter-like songs.

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This isn’t merely the pessimism of one despairing man.

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The message of “The Long Walk” is muddled, at once hopeful and despairing.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• grief-stricken 
• melancholic 
• melancholy 
• pessimistic 
• suicidal 

When To Use

What does despairing mean?

Despairing is an adjective that describes people who are experiencing despair—complete hopelessness.The word despair is also commonly used as a verb meaning to lose all hope, and despairing comes from the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb.A despairing person is usually someone who is deeply sad 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.It often implies that one is giving up—that they believe there is nothing more to be done to make things better.Despairing can also be used to describe things that involve or show despair, as in a despairing look. Example: The despairing players stared in disbelief at the scoreboard, which showed an insurmountable lead with only minutes left.