despondency

noun

di-ˈspän-dən-sē How to pronounce despondency (audio)
Definition of despondencynext
1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits in despondency because he couldn't seem to settle into a lasting relationship

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2
as in despair
the state of being discouraged in their despondency they seemingly forgot that losing teams can become winning teams in a single season

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3
as in desperation
utter loss of hope never once gave into despondency and self-pity during her long recovery from her injuries in the car crash

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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 despondency Instead, a combination of internal disputes, instability around Alvaro Arbeloa’s position and the fact that several players are facing an uncertain future means the picture is one of discord and despondency. — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 5 May 2026 At each meeting, trustees face outrage over the 1,000 pink slips issued to district staff and parent despondency over the closure of preschool programs and other services. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026 But while some like Nazanin feel a despondency heading into the new year, for others, hope springs eternal. — Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026 There are delicate parallels in O’Halloran’s screenplay showing the different ways in which the Evans men deal with their despondencies. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for despondency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despondency
  1. sadness
  2. despair
  3. desperation
  4. depression
  5. dismay
  6. hopelessness
  7. melancholy
  8. sorrow
Noun
  • There was a moment this week when tears of sadness gave way to elation for one California couple.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The local journalists who cover the Bend community every day were not immune from the grief and sadness after today’s deadly shooting of children at an elementary school.
    — Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • Plath is shown not as a passive victim of despair, but as a brilliant intellectual and visionary poet.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Teacher of 19 years used to be able to help traumatized students without falling into despair.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of despair
Noun
  • Both teams now limp into Saturday's game in Austin with bruised bodies and egos, and carrying a whiff of desperation for a win to keep the season from unraveling.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Brown and her relatives say the fallen officer tragedy has reignited their trauma and desperation for justice.
    — Liz Crawford, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of desperation
Noun
  • The depression that plagues him in winters is nowhere to be found.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But their emergence also underscores how much psychiatry still needs to learn about the biological underpinnings of depression and why patients respond differently to treatment.
    — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of depression
Noun
  • To his dismay, many of the exultant people in cowboy hats, burnt orange T-shirts and other spirit gear appeared to be of South Asian heritage.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Holmes denies having said it, and the remark isn’t on the couple’s own recordings of the interviews in question, but, to their dismay, the article’s editor, after reviewing the journalist’s notes, stands by the reporting.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismay
Noun
  • In that sense, the dead-end setting of their journey across a volatile landscape in which humans might be an afterthought seems to reflect their hopelessness.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • What could that dirt road and the horizon beyond it mean—hope or hopelessness?
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of hopelessness
Noun
  • The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of melancholy
Noun
  • Following the ruling, Benson drowns her sorrows over cocktails with Sharpe, and, in a revealing, impeccably acted scene, airs out her grievances about her job.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • As their division rivals popped bottles inside Yankee Stadium’s visiting clubhouse, the home side filled with frustration and sorrow.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of sorrow

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Cite this Entry

“Despondency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despondency. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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