despair
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.1de·spair
verb \di-ˈsper\Definition of DESPAIR
intransitive verb
: to lose all hope or confidence <despair of winning>
transitive verb
obsolete : to lose hope for
— de·spair·er noun
See Examples of DESPAIR
- Things look bad now, but don't despair.
- <we despaired when we saw how little time we had left to complete our project>
- Sometimes it is hard not to despair about relations between men and women in American society. They seem to have hit rock bottom. —Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn, New Republic, 6 May 2002
- It is possible that at this stage Caesar had not altogether despaired of a consensual solution to the difficulties facing the Republic. —Anthony Everitt, Cicero, (2001) 2003
- Yet, until very recently, Alzheimer's was so poorly understood that scientists despaired of finding a treatment, much less a cure. —Ken Garber, Technology, March 2001
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Origin of DESPAIR
Middle English despeiren, from Anglo-French desperer, from Latin desperare, from de- + sperare to hope; akin to Latin spes hope — more at speed
First Known Use: 14th century
Related to DESPAIR
- Synonyms
- despond, lose heart
- Antonyms
- brighten, cheer (up), perk (up)
Rhymes with DESPAIR
affair, aglare, airfare, Ajmer, Altair, antbear, armchair, au pair, aware, bakeware, barware, Basseterre, Baudelaire, beachwear, bergère, beware, bid fair, big hair, black bear, bricklayer, broodmare, brown bear, bugbear, caneware, carfare, Carrère, cave bear, chi-square, clayware, club chair, compare, compere, confrere, cookware, corsair, courseware, creamware, crosshair, cudbear, daymare, dead air, decare, deck chair, declare, delftware, dishware, éclair, elsewhere, ensnare, eyewear, fanfare, fieldfare, firmware, flatware, Flaubert, footwear, forbear, forebear, forswear, foursquare, freeware, funfair, galère, giftware, glassware, Great Bear, groupware, Gruyère, guard hair, hardware, health care, hectare, high chair, horsehair, hot air, impair, infare, Khmer, Kildare, knitwear, life-care, light air, longhair, loungewear, Mayfair, menswear, meunière, midair, mohair, Molière, neckwear, nightmare, no fair, outstare, out-there, outwear, playwear, plein air, plowshare, Poor Clare, Port Blair, portiere, premiere, prepare, pushchair, rainwear, redware, repair, root hair, Sancerre, sea hare, shank's mare, shareware, shorthair, side chair, Sinclair, skiwear, sleepwear, slipware, sloth bear, software, somewhere, spongeware, sportswear, stemware, stoneware, sun bear, swimwear, threadbare, tinware, torchère, trouvère, tuyere, unfair, unhair, unswear, Voltaire, warfare, welfare, wheelchair, wirehair, workfare
2de·spair
noun \di-ˈsper\Definition of DESPAIR
1
: utter loss of hope <a cry of despair> <gave up in despair>
2
: a cause of hopelessness <an incorrigible child is the despair of his parents>
Examples of DESPAIR
- His despair nearly drove him mad.
- I was overcome by despair at being unable to find them.
- She finally gave up in despair.
- The people were driven to despair by the horrors of war.
- This latest setback has brought her to the depths of despair.
- On the occasion of Johnson's tercentenary, Martin (A Life of James Boswell) searches out the psychological elements covered up by Boswell and others: the immense insecurities, bouts of deep depression, corrosive self-doubt and, in his last days, despair for his very soul. —Publishers Weekly, 21 July 2008
- Players who'd been on the 2004 Olympic team joked about whether their two bronze medals equaled one silver. There was none of the despair or finger-pointing that followed the world championships in '02, when Team USA finished sixth. —Kelly Anderson, Sports Illustrated, 11 Sept. 2006
- The people who try to save endangered species in Hawaii are immune to despair. They have to be, to keep doing what they do. —Lawrence Downes, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2004
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Origin of DESPAIR
(see 1despair)
First Known Use: 14th century
Related to DESPAIR
- Synonyms
- desperation, despond, despondence, despondency, forlornness, hopelessness, slough of despond
- Antonyms
- hope, hopefulness
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