despond

[ dih-spond or especially for 2, des-pond ]

/ dɪˈspɒnd or especially for 2, ˈdɛs pɒnd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR despond ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to be depressed by loss of hope, confidence, or courage.

noun

despondency.

RELATED WORDS

surrender, sadden, dishearten

Nearby words

Origin of despond

1670–80; < Latin dēspondēre to give up, lose heart, promise, equivalent to dē- de- + spondēre to promise

Related formsde·spond·er, nounde·spond·ing·ly, adverbun·de·spond·ing, adjectiveun·de·spond·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for despond

A week after the inauguration, his wife, Lady Bird, watched with worry as a “slough of despond” surrounded her husband.
The Mad Men Era: When Hope Was Cheap|Jonathan Darman|March 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
For myself, I see only difficulties, embarrassment, and poverty in the future; but I despond of nothing.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
After the flood of inspiration comes its ebb; the valley of despond, after the heights of Alpine splendor.
Studies in the Out-Lying Fields of Psychic Science|Hudson Tuttle
Even Webb, Blake and Ray were powerless to pull him out of his despond.
A Daughter of the Sioux|Charles King

As usual there was an uninviting "slough of despond" in the hollow.
Across America by Motor-cycle|C. K. Shepherd
Hence Christian was left to sprawl in the Slough of Despond.
Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress|Samuel Phillips Day

British Dictionary definitions for despond

despond

verb (dɪˈspɒnd)

(intr) to lose heart or hope; become disheartened; despair

noun (ˈdɛspɒnd, dɪˈspɒnd)

archaic lack of hope; despondency

Derived Formsdespondingly, adverb

Word Origin for despond

C17: from Latin dēspondēre to promise, make over to, yield, lose heart, from de- + spondēre to promise

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012