Synonyms for despair
dɪˈspɛərde·spair

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. despairnoun

   Synonyms:
   desperation, hopelessness, despondency

2. despairnoun

   To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.

   He turned around in despair, aware that he was not going to survive

   Synonyms:
   hopelessness, desperation, despondency

3. despairverb

   To cause to despair.

   Synonyms:
   despondency, desperation, hopelessness

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 3 votes

1. despair

   Discouragement is the result of so much repulse or failure as wears out courage. Discouragements too frequent and long continued may produce a settled hopelessness. Hopelessness is negative, and may result from simple apathy; despondency and despair are more emphatic and decided. Despondency is an incapacity for the present exercise of hope; despair is the utter abandonment of hope. Despondency relaxes energy and effort and is always attended with sadness or distress; despair may produce a stony calmness, or it may lead to desperation. Desperation is energized despair, vigorous in action, reckless of consequences.

   Synonyms:
   desperation, despondency, discouragement, hopelessness

   Antonyms:
   anticipation, assurance, cheer, confidence, courage, elation, encouragement, expectancy, expectation, hope, hopefulness, trust

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.3 / 3 votes

1. despairnoun

   Synonyms:
   hopelessness, despondency, desperation

   Antonyms:
   hopefulness, elation, anticipation, hilarity, confidence, sanguineness, expectation

2. despairverb

   Synonyms:
   despond, faint

   Antonyms:
   hope, trust, confide, rely, presume, rally

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. despair, desperationnoun

   a state in which all hope is lost or absent

   "in the depths of despair"; "they were rescued from despair at the last minute"; "courage born of desperation"

   Synonyms:
   desperation

   Antonyms:
   hope

2. despairverb

   the feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well

   "they moaned in despair and dismay"; "one harsh word would send her into the depths of despair"

   Synonyms:
   desperation

   Antonyms:
   hope

3. despairverb

   abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart

   "Don't despair--help is on the way!"

   Antonyms:
   hope

Matched Categories

1. • Condition

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. saddnessnoun

   utter loss of hope

   Submitted by Andrea_Dubois2085 on May 9, 2024  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. despairnoun

   Synonyms:
   desperation, loss of hope, complete or utter hopelessness

2. despairverb

   Synonyms:
   despond, lose all hope, give up all expectation, be without any hope

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. despairnoun

   Synonyms:
   hopelessness, desperation, inconsolableness

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "despair":

   desperation, hopelessness, distress, desolation, despondency, desperate

Suggested Resources

1. despair

   Song lyrics by despair -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by despair on the Lyrics.com website.

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How to use despair in a sentence?

1. Volodymyr Zelensky:

   We must all be aware that this week Russia could try to do something particularly ugly, something particularly vicious, one of the key tasks of the enemy is to humiliate us, Ukrainians, to devalue our capabilities, our heroes, to spread despair, fear, to spread conflicts... Therefore, it is important never, for a single moment, to give in to this enemy pressure, not to wind oneself up, not to show weakness.

2. Francois de Fenelon:

   Discouragement is simply the despair of wounded self-love.

3. Scott C. Holstad:

   we dream of peace and tranquility, the day when we no longer despair but our self-imposed angst cannot be avoided. we can't run. it won't go away. the noises i hear in my hell are very real and i'll continue to exist in an interested sort of anguish, looking for bloodstains on acid free sidewalks.

4. Ha Jae-hun:

   This isn't something to be ashamed of, i don't despair, I just don't think. I'm as simple as that.

5. Charles Baudelaire:

   It is necessary to work, if not from inclination, at least from despair. Everything considered, work is less boring than amusing oneself.