Definition of DESPONDENT

Examples of despondent in a Sentence

Writers who spend much time in universities are likely to grow despondent over the future of literature, for there it is treated as a finished thing. —Louis Simpson, New York Times Book Review, 21 Nov. l982
His colleagues did not care for his despondent company, which made him suffer more, which perpetuated their distance … —Noah Charney, The Art Thief, 2007
The Simpsons' plots are a bit more sophisticated than their Saturday morning counterparts and are occasionally tinged with pathos—as when Homer loses his job at the nuclear-power plant and becomes despondent and even suicidal. —Jerry Lazar, TV Guide, 13 Jan. 1990
I had never seen them looking so despondent.
a group of despondent fans

Recent Examples of despondent from the Web

Devastated and despondent, Childress stood on the deck of Bill France Jr.’s dock in Daytona — ready to walk away from it all — two days after the accident.

— george diaz, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Austin Dillon finally breaks free from great expectations of No. 3", 29 May 2017
Stuck in Warsaw, unsure if he would ever be allowed to leave or to see his family again, Milosz was despondent.

— adam kirsch, The New Yorker, "Czeslaw Milosz’s Battle for Truth", 29 May 2017
Ariana Grande posted a despondent tweet hours after a man bombed her Manchester, England, concert.

— sean rossman, USA TODAY, "Ga. father tells Ariana Grande 'take care of you first' in touching letter", 26 May 2017
But is Al Gore himself despondent or depressed about it all?

— kenneth turan, latimes.com, "Al Gore on the French Riviera: Why he was reluctant to make 'An Inconvenient Sequel'", 24 May 2017
With shows like Donald Glover’s Atlanta, black people are no longer forced into the tropes of emotionally despondent gangsters and angry black women.

— shakirah a. hill, Teen Vogue, "10 Times Black Artists Defined 2016 Culture", 31 Dec. 2016
Some were numb, some were panicky, some were just totally despondent and sobbing.

— penelope green, New York Times, "Can Yoga Help Chase the Postelection Blues?", 16 Nov. 2016
In the final weeks of the campaign, a despondent Mr. Clinton held a flurry of his own events in Ohio, Iowa, the Florida Panhandle and Wisconsin, talking to the white voters who like him but who view his wife with distrust.

— amy chozick, New York Times, "Hillary Clinton’s Expectations, and Her Ultimate Campaign Missteps", 9 Nov. 2016
The mood on the park lawn was despondent, funereal; the signs themselves resembled tombstones wedged into a graveyard.

— amanda petrusich, The New Yorker, "“I’m with Hillary 2016”: A Clinton Campaign Sign’s Final Resting Place", 9 Nov. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'despondent'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of despondent

Latin despondent-, despondens, present participle of despondēre

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First Known Use: circa 1699

See Words from the same year

despondent Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of despondent

despondent, despairing, desperate, hopeless mean having lost all or nearly all hope. despondent implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort. despondent about yet another rejection despairing suggests the slipping away of all hope and often despondency. despairing appeals for the return of the kidnapped child desperate implies despair that prompts reckless action or violence in the face of defeat or frustration. one last desperate attempt to turn the tide of battle hopeless suggests despair and the cessation of effort or resistance and often implies acceptance or resignation. the situation of the trapped miners is hopeless

despondent