1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
her slumping posture betrayed a growing despondence
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despondence
Liborio speaks with a mix of rage and despondence about his situation; complaining about the pejorative labels those around him call him to diminish his existence.
—
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
From shock to anger to despondence.
—Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
These could include feelings of overwhelming sadness (despondence), a sense that life will never get better (hopelessness) or actual thoughts of killing themselves.
—Dr. Theresa T. Nguyen, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Amidst the initial confusion that followed the freezing of USAID grants, the mood across the humanitarian sector was one of panic, anxiety, and quiet despondence.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
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
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
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
From shock to anger to despondence.
—Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
These could include feelings of overwhelming sadness (despondence), a sense that life will never get better (hopelessness) or actual thoughts of killing themselves.
—Dr. Theresa T. Nguyen, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Amidst the initial confusion that followed the freezing of USAID grants, the mood across the humanitarian sector was one of panic, anxiety, and quiet despondence.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despondence
Noun
-
Relieved of their blindfolds, the men now wore heavy rucksacks filled with colored rocks representing their anger (red), guilt and shame (black), and sadness (blue).—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Reaction to the news Monday that the Connecticut Sun WNBA team is officially being moved to Houston was of sadness and regret in Connecticut, especially amongst those who had tried to keep the professional women’s basketball team in the state over the last year.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Whether firing Cassidy was an act of desperation or necessity or somewhere in between, all the focus will be on Tortorella's ability to maximize what management clearly believes is a roster capable of competing for a championship.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Blackouts and economic collapse have sparked widespread desperation in Cuba, with citizens openly protesting the government despite decades of political repression.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Growing up on a farm in Wabasha, Minnesota, one of 18 children, Bea milked cows and attended a one-room schoolhouse during the great depression.—
Irene Gonzalez,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Hoang models the potential sales of these drugs by using Johnson & Johnson's Spravato, an intranasal ketamine derivative first approved to address treatment-resistant depression in 2019 , as a case study.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The researchers also say that the intervention appeared to change the model’s internal activations (which might suggest the expressions indicate something akin to real emotions) and not just the expression of despair.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
As is the band’s custom, the lyrics might evoke despair, but the furnace of hooks and harmonies suggests total emotional overload is its own kind of salvation.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The film’s empathetic interest in individual, often eccentric human lives gives it a warmth that overrides the underlying melancholy of the material, making for a pleasingly unsentimental crowdpleaser.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Some acknowledged the possibility that melancholy could be inherited.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For her and many other Iranians who spoke to CNN – their surnames withheld to protect their identities – the past three weeks have been filled with a sense of hopelessness and fear.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Depression and hopelessness are at their highest ever measured.—
Ariel David,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Indeed, in Iran the slaughter of protesters by the Iranian Republican guards filled me with sorrow and outrage.—
Dr. Michael Good,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2026
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As the communities in Maui continue to rebuild their homes and their lives two years after the wildfires killed 102 people, the flooding added to the sorrow.—
Matt Gutman,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despondence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despondence. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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