MEANING
A complete loss of hope that makes a person feel nothing can improve.
Use it for
Name a deep loss of hope, whether private or shared.Name a powerful state of hopelessness without reducing it to ordinary sadness.
Words that belong together
- fall into despair
- quiet despair
- an expression of despair
On the page
Despair settled over the town as the last rescue boat disappeared.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- despair
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Usage notes
As a noun, it names a state of lost hope; as a verb, “despair of” means lose hope about something.
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