despair

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.
2. (countable, uncountable) That which causes despair.
3. (countable, uncountable) That which is despaired of.

Verb

1. (obsolete, transitive) To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.
2. (transitive) To cause to despair.
3. (intransitive) To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation.

Opposite of

hope, respair

Synonyms

desperation

hopelessness

despondency

lose hope

lose heart

disappointment

abandonment

despond

despondence

depression

become discouraged

dejected

pessimism

dejection

give up

gloom

desolation

discouragement

disheartened

brokenheartedness

give up hope

depressed

dispirited

grief

give up hope of life

melancholic

melancholy

misery

moan

moroseness

quit

sadness

sigh

sorrow

surrender

trouble

unhappiness

worry

be hopeless

in despair

lose interest

self-abandonment

prostation

dejection of mind

depression of spirits

loss of heart

wanhope

adversity

affliction

be disappointed

Translations

désespoir

désespérer

disperazione

desesperación

Verzweiflung

disperare

verzweifeln

desesperar

απελπίζομαι

απελπισία

wanhoop

desesperar

desespero

desesperació

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dɪˈspɛə(ɹ)/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: dispeir

In summary

From Middle English dispeir, from Anglo-Norman despeir and Old French desperer (from Latin dēspērō, dēspērāre), or desesperer, from des- (“dis-”) + esperer (“hope”). See also desperate. Displaced native Old English ormōdnes (“despair”) and Old English ortrīewan (“to despair”).

Sentences

Despair is something that haunts us at night .