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
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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
After the race, Hamilton sounded despondent and hinted at turmoil at his new team.
—
Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 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
Gillan’s Felicia, who is both a despondent nurse and a lonely divorcée, nicely illustrates why.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for despondent
Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 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
Gillan’s Felicia, who is both a despondent nurse and a lonely divorcée, nicely illustrates why.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for despondent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despondent
Adjective
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Siff realized there was a market of willing workers desperate to find jobs without a tool to help them.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Stack’s Lilly particularly stands out as a young girl still terrorized by the traumatic loss of her father, but desperate to save her friends from experiencing similar kinds of anguish.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Volunteers became depressed, irritable, anxious, and withdrawn.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
18 Oct. 2025
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Jeffrey Rignall died in 2000 In the wake of Gacy’s attack, Rignall became depressed and withdrawn, suffering from bouts of vomiting and losing nearly 40 pounds, per The Courier Journal.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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All that’s left is some hopeless cringe, stunt guest stars and unfunny jokes.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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All that's left is some hopeless cringe, stunt guest stars and unfunny jokes.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Following Dombrowski’s comments and his belief that Harper is unhappy with his current contract situation, Sherman opened the door to a potential offseason trade that sends Harper elsewhere.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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People who will be sent there include those who let their poor unhappy doggies bark endlessly, those who throw trash on the beach and those who hunt exotic animals for sport.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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As Morgan and Sasha chat it up at Noah’s family’s Purim party, a sad-eyed Esther stands off to the side, quietly watching the interaction.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
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The footage shows Deiseroth’s demeanor teetering between sad and angry.—
David Goodhue
October 24,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Though we were heartbroken at the goodbyes, there was a small sense of relief, knowing that fewer mouths to feed would mean a little more food for those who stayed behind.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
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Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez each hit a solo home run for the Mariners in the team’s first Game 7 but Seattle failed to reach its first World Series, leaving the heartbroken Mariners as the only major league team without a pennant.—
Ian Harrison,
Twin Cities,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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People are despairing over the Supreme Court and its deference to the president.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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That is, even the Pew study contradicted the claims people were making about wealthier moms being the most miserable and stressed.—
Stephanie H. Murray,
The Atlantic,
21 Oct. 2025
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Blake Treinen got a pop-up and a strikeout to get out of that inning and now has had five effective outings in his six postseason appearances, after a miserable September.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despondent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despondent. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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