despair
Use Despair in a sentence
noun
1.
loss of hope; hopelessness.
2.
someone or something that causes hopelessness: He is the despair of his mother.
verb (used without object)
3.
to lose, give up, or be without hope (often followed by of ): to despair of humanity.
verb (used with object)
4.
Obsolete. to give up hope of.
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English despeir (noun), despeiren (v.) < Anglo-French despeir, Old French despoir (noun), despeir-, tonic stem of desperer (v.) < Latin dēspērāre to be without hope, equivalent to dē- de- + spērāre to hope, derivative of spēs hope
1275–1325; Middle English despeir (noun), despeiren (v.) < Anglo-French despeir, Old French despoir (noun), despeir-, tonic stem of desperer (v.) < Latin dēspērāre to be without hope, equivalent to dē- de- + spērāre to hope, derivative of spēs hope
Related forms
de·spair·er, noun
self-de·spair, noun
un·de·spaired, adjective
Synonyms
1. gloom, disheartenment. Despair, desperation, despondency, discouragement, hopelessness refer to a state of mind caused by circumstances that seem too much to cope with. Despair suggests total loss of hope, which may be passive or may drive one to furious efforts, even if at random: in the depths of despair; courage born of despair. Desperation is usually an active state, the abandonment of hope impelling to a furious struggle against adverse circumstances, with utter disregard of consequences: an act of desperation when everything else had failed. Despondency is a state of deep gloom and disheartenment: a spell of despondency. Discouragement is a loss of courage, hope, and ambition because of obstacles, frustrations, etc.: His optimism yielded to discouragement. Hopelessness is a loss of hope so complete as to result in a more or less permanent state of passive despair: a state of hopelessness and apathy.
1. gloom, disheartenment. Despair, desperation, despondency, discouragement, hopelessness refer to a state of mind caused by circumstances that seem too much to cope with. Despair suggests total loss of hope, which may be passive or may drive one to furious efforts, even if at random: in the depths of despair; courage born of despair. Desperation is usually an active state, the abandonment of hope impelling to a furious struggle against adverse circumstances, with utter disregard of consequences: an act of desperation when everything else had failed. Despondency is a state of deep gloom and disheartenment: a spell of despondency. Discouragement is a loss of courage, hope, and ambition because of obstacles, frustrations, etc.: His optimism yielded to discouragement. Hopelessness is a loss of hope so complete as to result in a more or less permanent state of passive despair: a state of hopelessness and apathy.
Antonyms
1. hope.
1. hope.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To Despair
Collins
World English Dictionary
despair (dɪˈspɛə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (often foll by of) | |
| 1. | to lose or give up hope: I despair of his coming |
| 2. | obsolete (tr) to give up hope of; lose hope in |
| —n | |
| 3. | total loss of hope |
| 4. | a person or thing that causes hopelessness or for which there is no hope |
| [C14: from Old French despoir hopelessness, from desperer to despair, from Latin dēspērāre, from | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Despair
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is kibitz. Does it mean:
| chat, to converse |
| to flee; abscond: |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
despair
early 14c., from O.Fr. desperer "lose hope, despair," from L. desperare "to despair," from de- "without" + sperare "to hope," from spes "hope" (see speed). Noun replaced native wanhope. Related: Despairingly.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
There was also the doom-and-gloom despair, the despondency that prevailed in the place.
The problem is, each experiences it in isolation, which only exacerbates the sense of hopelessness and despair.
The despair is what I find truly painful to read.
Its cities do have pockets of despair, but neither slums nor ghettos.
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
