1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
her slumping posture betrayed a growing despondence
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in desperation
utter loss of hope
the ability to endure defeat without despondence has allowed him to weather the ups and downs of an acting career
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Recent Examples of despondence
There’s a lingering despondence in his expression.
—
Julius Miller, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Democrats have already begun the autopsy on the election results as Harris supporters express a mix of outrage and despondence.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2024
Emitting a combination of anger, frustration, and despondence, the University of Utah’s fifth-year junior quarterback was 15 minutes removed from throwing a back-breaking interception in the end zone that helped seal a 29-26 University of Florida win at The Swamp.
—Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Sep. 2022
My pandemic weariness turned into despondence.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2021
Baade, who remembers his own father’s despondence when the Braves left town, doesn’t outright dismiss the idea that the Brewers could leave, agreeing that a smaller-market team is at a disadvantage.
—Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 17 Feb. 2023
Amy's behavior demonstrates how scoring high in each of these components facilitates a flexible, confident and passionate approach to life and ensures a strong degree of resiliency when faced with anxiety, despondence and overwhelm.
—Roberta Moore, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recalls his own quiet despondence when Dallas began the season not only with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but a five-game loss of quarterback Dak Prescott to a thumb fracture.
—Dallas News, 30 Oct. 2022
Both question the human costs of work, zooming in on the affects—despondence, alienation, indifference—that businesses produce alongside goods and services.
—Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2022
Julius Miller, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Democrats have already begun the autopsy on the election results as Harris supporters express a mix of outrage and despondence.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2024
Emitting a combination of anger, frustration, and despondence, the University of Utah’s fifth-year junior quarterback was 15 minutes removed from throwing a back-breaking interception in the end zone that helped seal a 29-26 University of Florida win at The Swamp.
—Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Sep. 2022
My pandemic weariness turned into despondence.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2021
Baade, who remembers his own father’s despondence when the Braves left town, doesn’t outright dismiss the idea that the Brewers could leave, agreeing that a smaller-market team is at a disadvantage.
—Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 17 Feb. 2023
Amy's behavior demonstrates how scoring high in each of these components facilitates a flexible, confident and passionate approach to life and ensures a strong degree of resiliency when faced with anxiety, despondence and overwhelm.
—Roberta Moore, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recalls his own quiet despondence when Dallas began the season not only with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but a five-game loss of quarterback Dak Prescott to a thumb fracture.
—Dallas News, 30 Oct. 2022
Both question the human costs of work, zooming in on the affects—despondence, alienation, indifference—that businesses produce alongside goods and services.
—Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despondence
Noun
-
Remove every trace of desperation from your online presence.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
Out of desperation, Red Bull chose to swap Liam Lawson and Tsunoda following two underwhelming races by Lawson.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 June 2025
Noun
-
Composting locations don’t need to be perfectly level, but selecting a spot that doesn’t have any significant inclines or depressions makes compost piles much easier to manage.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 June 2025
-
However, the series main character, Mi-ji, has been able to move past the depression that kept her from chasing her ambitions for years.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
So many of the adults who held our communities together have been lost to mass incarceration, to addictions—diseases of despair—as drugs have replaced jobs and hope in our neighborhoods, often turning them into war zones.—
Asha Bandele,
Essence,
25 June 2025
-
The best dystopian films are the most plausible ones, and Children Of Men feels all too real, from the political factions to the way humanity both descends into despair and miraculously comes together to help those who need it most.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
Labor Day is suffused with a certain melancholy at the end of summer and children are already back in school.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
19 June 2025
-
That betrayal, like so many others, fed the melancholy in Brian's music.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
15 June 2025
Noun
-
Not the murder, not the arrival of the addicted sister, but the removal of the boy that has been at the core of so much sorrow and betrayal between the sisters.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
20 June 2025
-
That haunting blend of sorrow and defiance shaped us.—
Nazanin Boniadi,
Time,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despondence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despondence. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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