adjective
Usage
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.
Related Words
See hopeless.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of despairing
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.
Tippett, a former NHS England boss who led on personalised care, told the BBC the result was "despairing".
From BBC • May 19, 2026
Mr. Page expresses such deep, despairing horror that, for a few minutes at least, this minor tragedy rises to heights of harrowing feeling.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
“Especially in despairing economic times we need to ensure people aren’t being denied access.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
Dunk, though wounded and despairing of Baelor’s death, wins his trial and becomes a legend that characters in “A Song of Ice and Fire” recall as a true knight.
From Salon • Feb. 25, 2026
Siddhartha had wanted to drown himself in this river; the old, tired, despairing Siddhartha was today drowned in it.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
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.
