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Showing results for hopelessness. Search instead for toplessness.
Synonyms

hopelessness

American  
[hohp-lis-nis] / ˈhoʊp lɪs nɪs /

noun

  1. the feeling or condition of having no hope; despair; desperation.

    Among the worst demons of addiction is hopelessness.

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.

"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

"These are sentences which just bring people into hopelessness," she said.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 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

Some spoke of the hopelessness of the fight against Imperial Japan.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025

Staring at the rice pot, I let out a breath of hopelessness when I see her take the ladle and stir the soup at my turn.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

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.