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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Recent Examples of despondency
This need not be a recipe for despondency.
—
Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Depression can take many forms: Some people experience it as emotional despondency, while others struggle with obsessive thoughts or a loss of pleasure.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 June 2025
Feelings of liberation and despondency clashed in Nguyen-Amigo’s chest like a head-on collision.
—Jonathan Horwitz, Oc Register, 20 June 2025
One of the most crowded events was that of Politico and CBS News, even as some of the network’s journalists are in a state of anxiety and even despondency over the potential for parent Paramount Global would settle Trump’s lawsuit over 60 Minutes‘ edits of a Kamala Harris interview.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despondency
Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Depression can take many forms: Some people experience it as emotional despondency, while others struggle with obsessive thoughts or a loss of pleasure.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 June 2025
Feelings of liberation and despondency clashed in Nguyen-Amigo’s chest like a head-on collision.
—Jonathan Horwitz, Oc Register, 20 June 2025
One of the most crowded events was that of Politico and CBS News, even as some of the network’s journalists are in a state of anxiety and even despondency over the potential for parent Paramount Global would settle Trump’s lawsuit over 60 Minutes‘ edits of a Kamala Harris interview.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despondency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despondency
Noun
-
There’s not even a sadness or an anger.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
-
When his dog, Grace, died the year before, at the age of sixteen and a half, the sadness was overwhelming.—
Ann Patchett,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Maybe there will come a time when Reid is comfortable publicly sharing stories about his sister and the despair the family has endured with her loss.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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But the show's greatest asset is its stars, whose endearing real-life friendship pierces through the play’s inherent despair.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Trailing by two scores in the fourth quarter, Dart shifted into desperation mode.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Okane is desperate at the prospect of losing both her true love and her one defender, and her desperation gives rise to extravagant and harrowing drama.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
If conditions are right, the clusters swirl into a storm known as a tropical wave or tropical depression.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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Newsweek spoke with two mental health experts to better understand the rare condition, which is characterized by both schizophrenia symptoms and mood disorders such as mania or depression.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There is, to United’s dismay, a definite trend of players breaking out of Old Trafford and finding a new lease of life.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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But what could have been an intricate, interwoven storytelling feat is instead one season's worth of resources spread thin between separate and stale plotlines, much to the dismay of fans eager to see the season that Covid had delayed by a year.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
At New York Fashion Week, beauty acted as a moment of reprise from the hopelessness many are feeling in the current state of the world.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 Sep. 2025
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The film certainly steers clear of Emmerichian overdrive, but it is suffused with hopelessness — on both an intimate and an epic scale.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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An aura of melancholy does not stop Madvillainy from being endlessly joyful and playful.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
30 Sep. 2025
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But even here, the ache of the lovers’ separation registers with only a muffled sense of melancholy.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Neighbors and members of the community in Grand Blanc, Michigan, expressed shock and sorrow in interviews with Fox News Digital.—
Anders Hagstrom , Garrett Tenney,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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Words cannot capture the depth of our sorrow for their loss.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despondency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despondency. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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