despondent

[dih-spon-duhnt]

adjective

1. feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection, discouragement, or gloom.

   despondent about failing health.

   Synonyms: blue, melancholy, downhearted
   Antonyms: hopeful, happy

despondent

/ dɪˈspɒndənt /

adjective

1. downcast or disheartened; lacking hope or courage; dejected

Other Word Forms

• despondently adverb
• predespondent adjective
• quasi-despondent adjective
• quasi-despondently adverb
• undespondent adjective
• undespondently adverb
• despondency noun
• despondence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of despondent¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin dēspondent-, stem of dēspondēns “giving up,” present participle of dēspondēre “to give up, lose heart, promise”; despond

Synonym Study

See hopeless.

Example Sentences

It was never going to be a quick fix, as she admitted after the game while cutting a despondent figure in her media duties.

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Ms Musvava, dressed in a bright orange winter jumper and a white hat, appeared despondent.

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They veiled the stage in gauze on “Copy of A,” casting dozens of Reznor shadows while he strutted and howled about a despondent, depersonalized modernity.

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Many of those I speak to in the Hillsborough community have been feeling despondent.

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However, he seemed to have succeeded at the 2009 Labour Party conference when Mandelson delivered a rousing speech to despondent delegates, telling them: "If I can come back, we can come back."

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Related Words

• dejected 
• discouraged 
• disheartened 
• forlorn 
• glum 
• morose 
• sad