hopeless

adjective

hope·​less ˈhō-pləs 

1

a

: having no expectation of good or success : despairing

felt hopeless and alone

b

: not susceptible to remedy or cure

doctors say his condition is hopeless

c

: incapable of redemption or improvement

She's a hopeless romantic.

the most hopeless group of golfers you've ever seen

2

a

: giving no reason to expect good or success : giving no ground for hope : desperate

The situation looked hopeless.

b

: incapable of solution, management, or accomplishment : impossible

a hopeless task

hopelessness noun

Synonyms

• incorrigible
• incurable
• irrecoverable
• irredeemable
• irreformable
• irremediable
• irretrievable
• unrecoverable
• unredeemable

Choose the Right Synonym for hopeless

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

Examples of hopeless in a Sentence

He felt confused and hopeless after losing his job.

We were the most hopeless group of golfers you ever saw.

He's very ill, but his condition isn't hopeless.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the situation isn't hopeless everywhere and a few U.S. states have eliminated them. —CBS News, 22 Nov. 2023

But the situation isn’t hopeless everywhere and a few U.S. states have eliminated them. —Steve Karnowski, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2023

The three – a deep sea fishing veteran, his son and a mysterious youngster – each have different and clashing motivations for embark on what appears to be a dangerous, possibly hopeless, mission. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 9 Oct. 2023

By adulthood, many people with undiagnosed ADHD have spent years feeling isolated and hopeless, just as Wade did. —Claire Sibonney, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2023

Kyiv still stands, but the counteroffensive has been slow, and a new and far more hopeless conflict in the Middle East has overshadowed the continuing violence. —Jason Farago, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2023

Richard, meanwhile, sat there feeling numb and hopeless, trying to process the fact that his sister, his lifelong musical partner, was dead at 32 years old. —Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2023

But the month of June is here to give you reminders along the way that you’re never too lost and your case is never hopeless. —Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Nov. 2023

In the film adaptation of the 2006 best selling memoir of the same name, Roberts plays Liz Gilbert, a globetrotting, hopeless romantic who takes off for Italy, India and Indonesia to find herself. —Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 27 Oct. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

hopeless

adjective

hope·​less ˈhō-pləs 

1

a

: having no expectation of good or success

b

: incurable

2

a

: giving no reason for hope : desperate

a hopeless situation

b

: incapable of solution or accomplishment : impossible

a hopeless task

hopelessly adverb

hopelessness noun