despairing

[ dih-spair-ing ]
See synonyms for despairing on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. given to despair or hopelessness.

  2. indicating despair: a despairing look.

Origin of despairing

1
First recorded in 1585–95; despair + -ing2

synonym study For despairing

1. See hopeless.

Opposites for despairing

Other words from despairing

  • de·spair·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·de·spair·ing, adjective
  • un·de·spair·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use despairing in a sentence

  • "Girls, I just can't go another step—unless it's toward home," she finished despairingly.

    The Sunbridge Girls at Six Star Ranch | Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter
  • The shock of Jack Dineheart's threat had almost killed her, and Lizette hung over her despairingly.

    They Looked and Loved | Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller
  • As he was walking despairingly up and down the seashore, he spied an old man warming himself in the sun.

British Dictionary definitions for despairing

despairing

/ (dɪˈspɛərɪŋ) /


adjective
  1. marked by or resulting from despair; hopeless or desperate

Derived forms of despairing

  • despairingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012