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
  • And that is what produces, for me, the anger and the rage and the sadness.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Fortuna noted rapid surveys also found that children with at least one immigrant parent are more likely to experience nightmares and higher levels of sadness.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • Borisov’s brainy, tender, deeply contemplative performance lends an anchoring humanity to a film that might otherwise have curdled into sourness and despair — though there’s plenty of reason for that.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Ashley Flynn’s sister, Kayla Keyt, said during her victim statement that her family could not overcome their sense of shock and despair after learning that Flynn betrayed them in such a violent and horrible way.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 5 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
  • According to 2025 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of youth have persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness — about 10% more than a decade earlier.
    — Darius Tahir, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Corruption across the political divide Much of this year’s fatigue traces back to a sense of hopelessness over systemic corruption, which ranks among voters’ biggest concerns, yet neither camp can claim the issue as its own, say experts.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of hopelessness
Noun
  • 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
  • On the one hand, there’s a fascination with collective joy and the forms of vernacular invention that aspire to it; on the other, there’s an underlying melancholy that points to the inevitability of isolation, an epistemology of loneliness.
    — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 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 17 Oct. 2026.

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