hopelessness
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of hopelessness
First recorded in 1805–10; hopeless ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )
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.
Beyond the obvious, the dilapidated housing and the poverty, what struck Duncan Smith in Easterhouse was the hopelessness, the sense that being on benefits was a destination, not a bridge.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
"It just feels bizarre, and I find so many of us don't really know how to feel right now, besides rage and hopelessness," she said.
From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026
Yasunari Kawabata leaves much unsaid and unexplained but with swift sure lines conveys Komako’s love, anger and hopelessness along with the mountains’ beauty and danger.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
Without it, she was afraid she would fall into despair and hopelessness.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025
Meliagrance, loving Guenever, flinching at his own half-hearted wickedness, and knowing the hopelessness of forcing his beloved against her will, had agreed to terms.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
