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
Is there a sense of despondency or panic? Waugh: Sort of, in the sense some fans are (to an extent, understandably) growing concerned about the lack of incoming.
—
Chris Waugh, New York Times, 12 June 2025
McIlroy, somehow attaining newfound levels of despondency, turned and walked toward the door.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Embarrassing Brighton for a third time this season by finishing above them would be a fantastic way to go from despondency after a rough start to delirium in May.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Patty’s, where Matt fights his old mentor, alternating between rage and despondency.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despondency
Chris Waugh, New York Times, 12 June 2025
McIlroy, somehow attaining newfound levels of despondency, turned and walked toward the door.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Embarrassing Brighton for a third time this season by finishing above them would be a fantastic way to go from despondency after a rough start to delirium in May.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Patty’s, where Matt fights his old mentor, alternating between rage and despondency.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despondency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despondency
Noun
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There were, however, occasional moments of despair rather than delight.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
13 Aug. 2025
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Not all rabbis spoke from the same ideological place, but a common thread was their effort to assert Jewish moral vocabulary in a moment of despair.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The film follows Man-su (Lee), a once-content middle-class family man who is abruptly laid off from his job, sending him into a spiral of anxiety and desperation.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Aug. 2025
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Breakdown of law and order As desperation mounts, Palestinians are risking their lives to get food, and violence is increasing, say aid workers.—
Sam Mednick,
Chicago Tribune,
31 July 2025
Noun
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Tamura suffered from depression, insomnia, migraines and lingering symptoms from a concussion from a sports injury, his mother said.—
Amanda Jackson,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
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Forecasters upped its chances of developing into a tropical depression to a 40% shot in the next seven days and a 10% shot in the next two days, as of Tuesday morning.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But the revised plan, to the dismay of Bolton and other residents, doesn’t carve out the garden.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Aug. 2025
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McIlroy elected to skip the St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, much to the dismay of at least one PGA Tour organizer.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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On the OpenAI community forums and Reddit, long-time chatters are expressing sorrow at losing access to models like GPT-4o.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
8 Aug. 2025
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As images of starving children in Gaza continue to circulate and the international outcry grows louder, a number of American rabbis used their pulpits to speak up about the humanitarian crisis, some with sorrow, others with moral urgency, and many with a sense that silence was no longer tenable.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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While this may be cause for near-term volatility, the July jobs report wasn’t all doom and gloom.—
Jeffrey Schulze,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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But even amidst all the doom and gloom, Pattinson shines, slathering on the black eyeliner and moping around to Nirvana.—
Devan Coggan,
EW.com,
3 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despondency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despondency. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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