despondency
noun
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Definition of despondency
: the state of being despondent or extremely low in spirits : dejection, hopelessness sank into despondency while he was unemployed
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Synonyms & Antonyms for despondency
Synonyms
blues, dejection, depression, desolation, despond, despondence, disconsolateness, dispiritedness, doldrums, dolefulness, downheartedness, dreariness, dumps, forlornness, gloom, gloominess, glumness, heartsickness, joylessness, melancholy, miserableness, mopes, mournfulness, oppression, sadness, sorrowfulness, unhappiness
Antonyms
bliss, blissfulness, ecstasy, elatedness, elation, euphoria, exhilaration, exuberance, exultation, felicity, gladness, happiness, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, jubilation, rapture, rapturousness
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Examples of despondency in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And the slow reveal of Leigh’s relationship with Axel and the events that led to her mother’s despondency offer a satisfying payoff. — Meg Medina, New York Times, "Dark Magic and Other Escapes in These Summer Y.A. Novels," 1 June 2018 Although their despondency would soon be short-lived, as a 1-0 win in their final Group A game against tournament hosts USA meant Romania qualified for the knockout stages in top spot. — SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 6 Weeks to Go - Romania Make Last 8 Thanks to 'the Maradona of the Carpathians'," 13 May 2018 Like the glutted inhabitants of Eden-Olympia, the characters in Crash turn to violence in an effort to relieve their despondency. — Becca Rothfeld, The New Republic, "J.G. Ballard’s Eerily Accurate Dystopias," 14 Mar. 2018 But Ramona has seen some kind of light and is moving on, leaving Isaac in despondency. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘Lemon’ Review: Where Sour Meets Sweet," 17 Aug. 2017 Depression is a mental health disorder in which people have a constant feeling of despondency. — Jen Christensen, CNN, "The most common pre-existing medical conditions," 20 Sep. 2017 The anger and despondency over her failure to stop the Rohingya persecution has spread to her fellow Nobel laureates. — Rick Gladstone And Somini Sengupta, New York Times, "Myanmar Leader Cancels U.N. Trip Amid Outcry Over Rohingya Slaughter," 13 Sep. 2017 Though there’s a question whether despondency isn’t his default state. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘Lemon’ Review: Where Sour Meets Sweet," 17 Aug. 2017 The losing streak is feeding some despondency in the Democratic ranks, but some Democrats -- including Pelosi allies -- say the long-term view is more favorable. — John King, CNN, "Why the White House has two press teams," 25 June 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'despondency.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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