1
as in desperate
feeling or showing no hope
after four days and still no word that the missing plane had been located, the relatives were despondent
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in depressed
feeling unhappiness
feeling despondent over the death of another close friend
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despondent
Michael Cole was despondent during his distant commentary of the women’s WWE Tag Team Championship match.
—
Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Burials have taken place at a July 11 commemoration service—a despondent attempt at closure for grieving families.
—Seema Jilani
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
The messages come from despondent restaurant staff, livid at seeing abusive, toxic chefs who have made their lives hell elevated to hero status with the awarding of one of the highest accolades in the industry.
—Vivian Song, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025
About two centuries later, Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine, touchingly vulnerable) writes increasingly despondent letters from the Belgian front in World War I.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despondent
Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Burials have taken place at a July 11 commemoration service—a despondent attempt at closure for grieving families.
—Seema Jilani
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
The messages come from despondent restaurant staff, livid at seeing abusive, toxic chefs who have made their lives hell elevated to hero status with the awarding of one of the highest accolades in the industry.
—Vivian Song, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025
About two centuries later, Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine, touchingly vulnerable) writes increasingly despondent letters from the Belgian front in World War I.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despondent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despondent
Adjective
-
Britain ultimately lost not only because of Washington’s extraordinary tenacity in the war’s several mainland theaters, but also because the king’s men had to stage long sieges, wage desperate naval battles, and take mounting casualties on too many other fronts spread too far apart.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Congress needs to go back in session because DC reporters are bored and desperate.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Developers are taking an extended break from a slumping San Diego area office market beset by empty space, depressed demand and high construction costs.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Real wages remain depressed and economic growth has stalled.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Things take a turn for the whimsical when, with the help of some lightning — and later, Taffy’s tanning bed — Lisa finds a companion in an undead, Victorian-era Cole Sprouse, a hopeless romantic who communicates exclusively in grunts, and whose devotion to Lisa knows no bounds.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The Jets are hopeless, with head coach Aaron Glenn pushing back on reporters weekly and owner Woody Johnson tossing his $40 million quarterback, Justin Fields, under the bus after another rough outing.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Pauline Collins, the exuberant British actress who inspired women — and men, too — to do something to change their unhappy lives with her Oscar-nominated and Olivier- and Tony-winning performances in Shirley Valentine, has died.—
Lisa de los Reyes,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
-
That distaste didn’t hurt Spanberger and her ticket, because 18% of those unhappy voters backed her anyway.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Everyone's a little sad in The Holdovers, Alexander Payne's charmingly sour comedy about a student stuck at his New England boarding school over the holidays with only his grouchy professor (Paul Giamatti) and the school cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) for company.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The 25-year-old wide receiver is sad to see his teammates go, but trusts the vision of the New York front office.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
As the title suggests, the book details Turner's tale of a heartbroken widower who became an unlikely senior-citizen TV star on the first season of the reality show, which ended with an engagement to Nist.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Thomas told the outlet that her brother’s diagnosis left their family heartbroken.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Exhausted and despairing, many Palestinians had their own reasons for refusing to pack up and uproot themselves again.—
WAFAA SHURAFA,
Arkansas Online,
7 Sep. 2025
-
People are despairing over the Supreme Court and its deference to the president.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
Zoning is not meant to be some sort of punishing thing meant to make a city miserable.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
5 Nov. 2025
-
But George appeared in just 41 games due to injury, while Embiid played in just 19 games, and the Sixers sagged to a miserable 24-58 finish.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despondent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despondent. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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