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despairs

 - 3 dictionary results

de⋅spair

  [di-spair]
Use despairs 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 fol. by of): to despair of humanity.
–verb (used with object)
4. Obsolete. to give up hope of.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME despeir (n.), despeiren (v.) < AF despeir, OF despoir (n.), despeir-, tonic s. of desperer (v.) < L dēspērāre to be without hope, equiv. to dē- de- + spērāre to hope, deriv. of spēs hope

Related forms:
de⋅spair⋅er, noun

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.

Antonyms:
1. hope.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To despairs
de·spair   (dĭ-spâr')   
intr.v.   de·spaired, de·spair·ing, de·spairs

  1. To lose all hope: despaired of reaching shore safely.

  2. To be overcome by a sense of futility or defeat.

n.  

  1. Complete loss of hope.

  2. One despaired of or causing despair: unmotivated students that are the despair of their teachers.


[Middle English despeiren, from Old French desperer, from Latin dēspērāre : dē-, de- + spērāre, to hope; see spē- in Indo-European roots. N., from Middle English despeir, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French desperer, to despair.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

despair 
c.1325, 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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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