1
as in desperation
utter loss of hope
the endless drought drove the farmers to despair
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dismay
the state of being discouraged
the other team's temporary lead caused some momentary despair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to grieve
to lose all hope or confidence
we despaired when we saw how little time we had left to complete our project
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despair
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The contrast was on display in the session’s opening moments, when Annalena Baerbock, the General Assembly’s president, urged delegates not to give in to despair about the institution’s shortcomings.
—Nik Popli, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
If melted candle wax dripped on your carpet or a favorite sweater, don't despair.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despair
Noun
McDermott is extremely watchable, and the show contains earnest strains of longing and despair.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The contrast was on display in the session’s opening moments, when Annalena Baerbock, the General Assembly’s president, urged delegates not to give in to despair about the institution’s shortcomings.
—Nik Popli, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
When Eva suddenly disappears without a trace, the priest despairs, leading him to commit a series of shocking and violent crimes.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
If melted candle wax dripped on your carpet or a favorite sweater, don't despair.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despair
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despair
Noun
-
Trailing by two scores in the fourth quarter, Dart shifted into desperation mode.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Okane is desperate at the prospect of losing both her true love and her one defender, and her desperation gives rise to extravagant and harrowing drama.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There is, to United’s dismay, a definite trend of players breaking out of Old Trafford and finding a new lease of life.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
But what could have been an intricate, interwoven storytelling feat is instead one season's worth of resources spread thin between separate and stale plotlines, much to the dismay of fans eager to see the season that Covid had delayed by a year.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In Saunders’s afterlife, various spirits join Willie, Lincoln’s eleven-year-old son who has died from typhoid fever, while his father grieves in the crypt.—
Book Marks
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Members of the Amish community are grieving the deaths of two children, who were killed when the driver of a Mini Cooper struck their horse and buggy, Pennsylvania authorities say.—
Mike Stunson,
Kansas City Star,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There’s not even a sadness or an anger.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
-
When his dog, Grace, died the year before, at the age of sixteen and a half, the sadness was overwhelming.—
Ann Patchett,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The gradual combination of these skills helps students avoid most crashes in the long term, leading to less discouragement and frustration.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
So feelings of self-doubt, frustration, and discouragement start to kick in.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
This was the third straight game that FIU punter Trey Wilhoit suffered a mishap, including two blocks and one punt returned for a touchdown.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Survivors may look thin and suffer from lameness until their condition improves.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
At New York Fashion Week, beauty acted as a moment of reprise from the hopelessness many are feeling in the current state of the world.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The film certainly steers clear of Emmerichian overdrive, but it is suffused with hopelessness — on both an intimate and an epic scale.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As Black women mourn her loss and grapple with the realities of a capitalist system that devalues our lives and labor, we are comforted by the legacy Assata Shakur leaves behind.—
Essence,
Essence,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Critics are now questioning the culture of risky livestream stunts, while supporters mourn a creator who inspired millions with his passion for flight.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despair.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despair. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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