hopeless

[hohp-lis]

adjective

1. providing no hope; beyond optimism or hope; desperate.

   a hopeless cancer diagnosis.

   Synonyms: incurable, remediless, irremediable

2. without hope; despairing.

   hopeless grief.

   Synonyms: dejected, disconsolate, forlorn

3. impossible to accomplish, solve, resolve, etc..

   Balancing my budget is hopeless.

4. not able to perform, work, learn, or act as desired; inadequate for the purpose.

   As a poker player, you're hopeless.

hopeless

/ ˈhəʊplɪs /

adjective

1. having or offering no hope

2. impossible to analyse or solve

3. unable to learn, function, etc

4. informal,  without skill or ability

Other Word Forms

• hopelessly adverb
• hopelessness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hopeless¹

First recorded in 1560–70; hope + -less

Synonym Study

Hopeless, despairing, despondent, desperate all describe an absence of hope. Hopeless is used of a feeling of futility and passive abandonment of oneself to fate: Hopeless and grim, he still clung to the cliff. Despairing refers to the loss of hope in regard to a particular situation, whether important or trivial; it suggests an intellectual judgment concerning probabilities: despairing of victory; despairing of finding his gloves. Despondent always suggests melancholy and depression; it refers to an emotional state rather than to an intellectual judgment: Despondent over his failing career, he fell back into substance and alcohol use. At the end of her marriage, she became despondent and suspicious. Desperate conveys a suggestion of recklessness resulting from loss of hope: As the time grew shorter, he became desperate. It may also refer to something arising from extreme need or danger: a desperate remedy; a desperate situation. See also despair.

Example Sentences

Mr. Hopkins’s father, a baker, told his son he was “bloody hopeless” and would “never amount to anything.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Great players know when their position has become hopeless.

Read more on Literature

Speaking about conservation, series editor, Simon Blakeney, said: "It’s a challenge, but it's not hopeless."

Read more on BBC

Another woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "Words can't explain the situation that we're in. It's horrible. I don't even know what to say. So many hopeless, helpless and lifeless people here right now."

Read more on BBC

Though her mother arranged lessons in piano, dancing, tennis and golf, “I was hopeless at everything,” she wrote.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• desperate 
• forlorn 
• helpless 
• impossible 
• pointless 
• sad 
• tragic 
• useless