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as in depressed
feeling unhappiness feeling despondent over the death of another close friend

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective despondent differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of despondent are despairing, desperate, and hopeless. While all these words mean "having lost all or nearly all hope," despondent implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort.

despondent about yet another rejection

Where would despairing be a reasonable alternative to despondent?

The words despairing and despondent can be used in similar contexts, but despairing suggests the slipping away of all hope and often despondency.

despairing appeals for the return of the kidnapped child

When would desperate be a good substitute for despondent?

The synonyms desperate and despondent are sometimes interchangeable, but desperate implies despair that prompts reckless action or violence in the face of defeat or frustration.

one last desperate attempt to turn the tide of battle

In what contexts can hopeless take the place of despondent?

While in some cases nearly identical to despondent, hopeless suggests despair and the cessation of effort or resistance and often implies acceptance or resignation.

the situation of the trapped miners is hopeless

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of despondent 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 At what was supposed to be his final asylum hearing on March 20, Rodríguez Parra’s lawyer sounded despondent. Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 18 July 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 Dallas keeps bringing up last year’s six-game win over Colorado in an apparent effort to buck up themselves and their despondent fans, who are rending their garments over a meaningless seven-game losing streak to end the season. Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for despondent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despondent
Adjective
  • Okane is desperate at the prospect of losing both her true love and her one defender, and her desperation gives rise to extravagant and harrowing drama.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2025
  • All of these disclaimers add to the fact that Tobin and the Bengals rarely make trades and historically must be forced into a truly desperate situation to give up future assets.
    Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The writer, known for her trailblazing work in confessional poetry, was clinically depressed and died by suicide at age 30.
    Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Barbeau had been living alone, depressed and isolated since Jessica’s death.
    Jon Michael Varese, The Atlantic, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The bubble-ists think that the Coreweave people are hopeless dreamers at best and shysters at worst.
    Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Since then, the song has been yearned for by hopeless romantics on TikTok, with videos featuring the song racking up millions of views, similar to the ones Iris posted herself.
    Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Smart, much like Georgia’s fan base, is pretty unhappy after yet another loss to Alabama.
    Seth Emerson, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
  • While there are reasons to be unhappy with the performance, each win in the NFL is hard to get.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • One purveyor of fairy tales that wasn’t afraid of a sad ending?
    Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Sade Bess, a Combs fan from Brooklyn, left the court’s overflow observation room looking both sad and relieved.
    Jennifer Peltz, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The most painful part, the tragedy of our lives, was that Brenda was heartbroken.
    Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025
  • This isn't the first time the internet has been left heartbroken when a dog didn't want to play.
    Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 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
  • The same goes for Treinen, who endured a miserable September, allowing 12 runs (10 earned) in 9 1/3 innings.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
  • And so, a miserable team performance was cemented into a 26-21 loss, the team’s first of the year.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Despondent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despondent. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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