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
Authorities say on June 17, Faye fired his handgun inside the Morgan Hill home of an ex-girlfriend, while reportedly despondent about his misdemeanor child abuse arrest two days earlier in Monterey.
—
Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 27 June 2025
On crutches, all Haliburton could do after the game was greet his despondent teammates in a Paycomm Center hallway.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 23 June 2025
Just the kind of leadership despondent Democrats need.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2025
Practice Gratitude For Your Achievements Many aid workers feel increasingly despondent over the state of the world and the role of our beloved country.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for despondent
Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 27 June 2025
On crutches, all Haliburton could do after the game was greet his despondent teammates in a Paycomm Center hallway.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 23 June 2025
Just the kind of leadership despondent Democrats need.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2025
Practice Gratitude For Your Achievements Many aid workers feel increasingly despondent over the state of the world and the role of our beloved country.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for despondent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despondent
Adjective
-
In one of his first major film roles, Anthony Mackie plays a newly unemployed executive who, desperate for money, agrees to impregnate his lesbian ex-girlfriend (Kerry Washington) and all her friends.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Isak himself stressed his happiness in the spring and featured in club kit promotions, hardly the actions of someone desperate for a quick exit.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
That view shifted Wednesday, with our double upgrade back to our buy-equivalent 1 rating after CEO David Ricks and several other company insiders bought lots of shares of the depressed stock.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
14 Aug. 2025
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Though heartbreaking, the film is rooted in laughter, with Jamie living his life not in a depressed state but rather choosing to live in the moment.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Measures included depression using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D), blood tests for 76 inflammatory biomarkers, and symptoms broken down into cognitive-affective (e.g., feeling hopeless), somatic (e.g., poor sleep, fatigue), and anhedonia (loss of pleasure) clusters.—
Paul McClure
August 09,
New Atlas,
9 Aug. 2025
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Amid the callous acts and hopeless rage of these kids—who are resourceful enough to orchestrate a high-speed heist but too disaffected for much else—a supernatural eeriness surfaces through word of mysterious lights in the sky and missing citizens.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
As with almost any change, some residents were unhappy, mostly about being told to slow down.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
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President Donald Trump was unhappy with July’s U.S. jobs report, which showed hiring slowing (with 73,000 jobs added, compared to 100,000 predicted) and revised past months’ numbers.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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How long is unknown, but with the season winding down and every game increasing in importance, any game off for Tucker is a sad statement on how far his stock has dropped in the last month.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Aug. 2025
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But the film’s precise, funny characters and vivid, sweltering look would have meant nothing without Lee’s wise and ultimately sad vision of multicultural America as a place where good intentions and casual mistrust are as commonplace as the local pizzeria.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
While the feline escaped unscathed, Lex admitted the incident left her heartbroken.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
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That’s not to say Moore wasn’t heartbroken or incredibly stressed out during the wildfires.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
People are despairing over the Supreme Court and its deference to the president.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
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Alcaraz swung slice serves past a despairing Lehečka’s forehand, while the Czech’s deliveries leapt up off the grass, contorting Alcaraz into uncomfortable return positions.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
Adjective
-
Daphne, miserable at boarding school; Bea, unhappy at home.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
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For years, parents faced a choice between exposing their kids to unknown dangers on social-media platforms or fighting a constant battle that would leave their kids isolated and miserable.—
Charlotte Alter,
Time,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despondent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despondent. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.
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