1
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

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 For a player who had just scored on his Bundesliga debut, Tillman was a portrait of despondency. Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025 This need not be a recipe for despondency. Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025 Ukrainians react to peace prospects In Kyiv, residents expressed a mixture of hope and despondency at the latest peace efforts. Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 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
  • These movies commit to the dusty interior decoration and inherent sadness of their ghost stories, but have little feel for the profound interfamily dynamics therein.
    J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
  • So many of Lee’s memories of her mother are tinged with sadness and grief.
    Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The feelings of postpartum depression — despair, guilt, shame and worthlessness — began creeping in.
    Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Some of the movie’s best scenes highlight the deep despair of that life, emphasizing how Meursault is indeed a stranger (or outsider, as the title of the book was first translated to in English) in a land under occupation.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Daniels also threw a desperation pick while simply trying to get rid of the ball, but the game’s outcome was decided by then.
    Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Tatum does stretch his acting abilities in scenes where Jeffrey’s con-man charisma is underlaid with desperation and deception, but there’s nothing in Cianfrance and Kirt Gunn’s screenplay to seriously challenge Tatum’s persona as a leading man.
    Katie Rife, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In addition, people may experience anxiety or depression related to summer's end and the return to school and work routines, Prism Medical Products says.
    Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The Browns are a virus for seasonal depression.
    Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Good morning, In April 2023, Rose’s Fine Food owner Molly Mitchell announced the closing of the charming diner after nine years, to much dismay.
    Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Swift’s dismay about a powerful ex became a fable for any girl courted by an older guy.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Today that sense of hopelessness has been replaced by a sense of determination and a good deal more hope.
    Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Bigelow’s explosively entertaining real-time thriller, told from multiple perspectives at various levels of government from situation room deputies to POTUS (Idris Elba) himself, does not mince on hopelessness.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Lacy’s new music maintains his sly sense of humor, but with a barefaced melancholy that pushes it to new emotional depths.
    Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2025
  • More often than not, the film’s nostalgia is sweet and enjoyable because it is paired with the melancholy that comes from all the acknowledgments of the actors from the original who died over the last 29 years.
    Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 30 July 2025
Noun
  • Anger could be enough, sorrow could be enough.
    Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Its purpose is not to wallow in historical sorrow, but to illuminate how a people’s spirit was forged in the fire of injustice.
    Brad Braxton, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Despondency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despondency. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on despondency

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!