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.
“I refuse to live in hopelessness and trauma,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2026
These included anhedonia, feelings of hopelessness, and a sense of failure, in both women with and without HIV.
From Science Daily • May 4, 2026
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
Just as I would swing into the abyss of hopelessness, the pendulum would swing back with some small goodness.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
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.
