as in grieves
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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Recent Examples of despairs
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
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despairs
Verb
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In an emotional video posted Thursday, Kim thanked supporters for their prayers and asked for privacy as his family grieves.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
2 Jan. 2026
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Neytiri grieves the loss of her home and her tribe and resents Jake for it.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
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As Hollywood mourns the loss of Catherine O’Hara, one of her Canadian comrades is paying tribute.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
31 Jan. 2026
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Our union mourns his loss and our thoughts are with his family, his union, and his community.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Degrees lose credibility, and the CSU’s reputation in the job market suffers, especially in Southern California where employers have many alternatives.—
Andrea Mays,
Oc Register,
8 Feb. 2026
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Several others were wounded and taken for treatment in Rahad, which suffers severe medical supplies shortages, like many areas in the Kordofan region, the statement said.—
Samy Magdy,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despairs. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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