as in grieved
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despaired
The news of her 23-year-old son’s execution shocked and despaired the world.
—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Anyone who ever despaired about their outstanding mortgage remaining virtually static despite months of repayments will relate.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Anyone who ever despaired about their outstanding mortgage remaining virtually static despite months of repayments will relate.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despaired
Verb
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Users of both Replika and GPT-4o, an older model offered within ChatGPT, have grieved when technical changes caused their bots to lose memories or otherwise shift their behavior.—
Damon Beres,
The Atlantic,
5 Nov. 2025
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The sentiment was echoed across social media, as many grieved the loss of a long-operating part of American amusement park history.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Ross suffered a cut to his right arm that required 20 stitches, as well as a cut to his left hand that required 13 stitches, according to the affidavit, which includes photos of Ross’s bloody limbs.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
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He was eventually knocked free of the vehicle, and suffered significant lacerations that required 33 stitches, the official said.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Book blogs mourned my loss, a distinction that was both affirming and heartrending.—
Kenneth Turan,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
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Hollywood Heritage, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving neighborhood history, mourned the loss of the motel in a statement Sunday.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despaired.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despaired. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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