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
Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 3 Aug. 2025
In an era of headlines that often fuel despair, the Calouste Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity shines a light on solutions.
—Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025
Trailing again, Lautaro hit the post, produced the save of the day from goalkeeper Fabio, and despaired as Stefan de Vrij missed a point-blank chance from his knockdown at the far post.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for despair
Noun
Munch was much more than just that painting, though many of his works explore despair, depression and anxiety.
—Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 3 Aug. 2025
In an era of headlines that often fuel despair, the Calouste Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity shines a light on solutions.
—Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
Verb
But don’t despair; there are plenty of other flowers to seek out in SoCal this month.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025
Trailing again, Lautaro hit the post, produced the save of the day from goalkeeper Fabio, and despaired as Stefan de Vrij missed a point-blank chance from his knockdown at the far post.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for despair
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despair
Noun
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The film follows Man-su (Lee), a once-content middle-class family man who is abruptly laid off from his job, sending him into a spiral of anxiety and desperation.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Aug. 2025
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The price paid depended on the buyer’s and seller’s bargaining skills – and desperation.—
Jay L. Zagorsky,
The Conversation,
31 July 2025
Noun
-
But the revised plan, to the dismay of Bolton and other residents, doesn’t carve out the garden.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Aug. 2025
-
McIlroy elected to skip the St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, much to the dismay of at least one PGA Tour organizer.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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At the time, Sampson and his family were grieving the recent loss of their beloved dog, Caddie, who inspired another one of his books, Caddie the Golf Dog.—
Clea Haran,
Parents,
7 Aug. 2025
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As dozens of agencies scour the dense forests and mountains that bookend the town, residents are privately grieving the tragedy at a bar that holds a special place in their hearts – and the history of the region.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
To state what is likely obvious to many Ars readers, this process does not involve any internal experience or emotion, so Gemini is not actually experiencing feelings of defeat or discouragement.—
Jon Brodkin,
ArsTechnica,
8 Aug. 2025
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As the realities of relocating set in, his girlfriend’s enthusiasm quickly turned into doubt and discouragement.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
17 July 2025
Verb
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Pat Johnson suffered severe burns; at the hospital, doctors gave him a 5% chance of survival.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
7 Aug. 2025
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The elderly man suffered minor injuries, and toughed out the blow, refusing medical attention at the scene of the attack, authorities said.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Goldberg, 69, and the When Harry Met Sally star have mourned and celebrated their late pal more than once.—
Jack Smart,
People.com,
12 Aug. 2025
-
Advertisement Hundreds gathered at the Sheikh Radwan cemetery in the Gaza Strip to mourn the five journalists on Monday.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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On the OpenAI community forums and Reddit, long-time chatters are expressing sorrow at losing access to models like GPT-4o.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
8 Aug. 2025
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As images of starving children in Gaza continue to circulate and the international outcry grows louder, a number of American rabbis used their pulpits to speak up about the humanitarian crisis, some with sorrow, others with moral urgency, and many with a sense that silence was no longer tenable.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Neither featured again, their abrupt omission clearly hurting two players who had done so much to get Wrexham up and running again after being brought together following Palmer’s arrival in January 2022 from Wimbledon in a club record £300,000 deal.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
13 Aug. 2025
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While Gonzalez has yet to practice since hurting his left leg two weeks ago, the injury does not appear to be overly serious.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despair.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despair. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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