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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despondent
Yes, but Fox News reports it anyway, Trump celebrates, and a despondent Satan packs his stuff up to leave the White House.
—
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
But there's no debate that the referendum generated a lot of excitement among despondent Missouri Democrats who suffered through yet another bad election cycle in 2024.
—Jason Rosenbaum, NPR, 3 Dec. 2025
That’s a perfectly routine sign-off, but the man, who had approached Ron by mistake, becomes despondent.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 28 Nov. 2025
Countless young men—already increasingly despondent and disconnected from faith, family, and community—are now glued to their phones, obsessing over point spreads.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despondent
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
But there's no debate that the referendum generated a lot of excitement among despondent Missouri Democrats who suffered through yet another bad election cycle in 2024.
—Jason Rosenbaum, NPR, 3 Dec. 2025
That’s a perfectly routine sign-off, but the man, who had approached Ron by mistake, becomes despondent.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 28 Nov. 2025
Countless young men—already increasingly despondent and disconnected from faith, family, and community—are now glued to their phones, obsessing over point spreads.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despondent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despondent
Adjective
-
What begins as an energetic adventure spirals into a deadly confrontation with a menacing crocodile, transforming their content creation mission into a desperate fight for survival.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Trump is desperate to take Greenland.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Countries such as the Netherlands and Canada that passed similar bills have gone on to expand this type of legislation to allow doctors to give lethal medication to the depressed and other people with mental illnesses.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Yes, our political leaders have given some of us reason to be resentful, cynical and even depressed.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The Knights could only manage a hopeless heave from well beyond halfcourt at the buzzer.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Produced by Feingold’s Romantical and distributed by Level33, the film follows Leo Kadner (Feingold), a hopeless romantic New Yorker who reconnects with his childhood crush Eva Shapiro (Sarah Coffey) while preparing for his 31-year-old Bar Mitzvah.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This is a no-win situation because one of us will end up unhappy.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The automaker spent much of the year undoing decisions made by the previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, who resigned at the end of 2024, as stakeholders in the company — from dealers to union rank and file — were upset with him and unhappy with his leadership.—
Liam Rappleye,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In Democratic cities, people demand 38 meetings and three dozen environmental assessments before tearing down a crack den to build a nursery for sad orphans.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Although there are infinitely many happy numbers there are also infinitely many sad ones.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Counseling is being provided for our team of athletes who are understandably heartbroken.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
-
After Anna disappeared, Alice was heartbroken.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.—
John Penner,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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In the current political climate, the girl is despairing.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
23 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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On a tour full of reasons to be miserable, England will leave Australia with at least one ray of light for the future.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The series centers around Timmy Turner, a miserable 10-year-old whose life improves significantly after he is given two fairy godparents named Wanda and Cosmo.—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despondent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despondent. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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