despondency

[ dih-spon-duhn-see ]

noun

state of being despondent; depression of spirits from loss of courage or hope; dejection.

Origin of despondency

First recorded in 1645–55; despond + -ency

The soldiers were prone to anorexia, despondency and bouts of weeping.
Nostalgia may have bona fide benefits in hard times, like the pandemic | Sujata Gupta | October 12, 2021 | Science News
It has shattered our routines and livelihoods, robbed us of our loved ones and plunged many into despondency.
Perspective-changing experiences, good or bad, can lead to richer lives | Sujata Gupta | September 1, 2021 | Science News
What lingers long after Hirori’s harrowing film ends, however, is bone-deep despondency over the ugliness of so much of the world, and the arduousness—and often futility—of striving to make any significant difference in the face of overwhelming evil.
The Real-Life Superheroes Rescuing ISIS Sex Slaves | Nick Schager | July 30, 2021 | The Daily Beast
Rebekah could be a poster child for the current PhD despondency.
Is a GED More Valuable Than a PhD? | Kai Ma | January 13, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
He sings angrily and directly to Anna about his feelings, his despondency, his pain—“Why do I have to pay attorney fees?!”
Kanye's Heartbreak | Touré | December 2, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST

We recollect sharing in the despondency, and even despair, which paralysed our party.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV. | Various
She felt she had been childish and unwise the night before in giving herself over to despondency.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopin
There was no despondency when she fell asleep that night; nor was there hope when she awoke in the morning.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopin
From the councillors down to the humblest settlers all was despondency and discontent.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
Her reins and her heart were all gone—was not that enough to cause those fits of despondency of which she complained?
Women of Modern France | Hugo P. Thieme

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