despaired

verb

past tense of despair
as in grieved
to lose all hope or confidence we despaired when we saw how little time we had left to complete our project

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of despaired Like Democrats in America following the November 2024 election, German social democrats despaired. — Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026 The 49ers energetically dominated in a 27-7 victory while the Rams exhaustedly despaired in front of more than 100,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a venue that hosts Australian rules football games that aren’t this ugly. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Benjamin killed himself at the French-Spanish border in 1940, having despaired of his chances of escaping the Nazis. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 In 2014, the party despaired at the success of the Koch donor network — decades of right-wing philanthropy that paid off in the tea party movement. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 June 2026 In her interview, Guthrie also despaired over the possibility that her fame could have made her mother a target for kidnappers, Page Six also reported. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026 The Herald’s competitors despaired of ever competing with that paper’s speedy acquisition of news, and one, the Journal of Commerce, eventually gave up and created a cooperative agreement with the Herald that would become instrumental in the creation of the Associated Press. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026 Democrats rejoiced; Republicans despaired. — Kevin Igoe, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2026 The news of her 23-year-old son’s execution shocked and despaired the world. — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despaired
  1. grieved
  2. suffered
  3. mourned
Verb
  • The couple’s lawyer told the judge that the Mitchells grieved the loss of Ginnifer and loved Evelyn.
    — Noelle Crombie, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Sacramento police confirmed the theft, canvassed neighborhoods and tracked leads as Old North Sacramento grieved its loss.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of grieved
Verb
  • The father, only identified as a 39-year-old Los Angeles man, suffered severe injuries.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The chant was prompted after a fiery Feleipe Franks got his helmet ripped off his head after a play and yet no flag was thrown — the culmination of a first half in which Carolina suffered 10 penalties for 101 yards.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of suffered
Verb
  • For decades, two families in Washington County, Pennsylvania, mourned their daughters while the answer to who killed them remained a mystery.
    — Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Described as gentle and thoughtful, Odeh sought to find common ground with those who supposedly were his enemy and, as a result, his death was as mourned by the local Jewish community as by his loved ones.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of mourned

Browse Nearby Words

despair
despaired
despairing
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Cite this Entry

“Despaired.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despaired. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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