1
as in incurable
not capable of being cured or reformed
a hopeless optimist who looked for the good in everyone and everything was a hopeless romantic who never stopped looking for a soulmate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cynical
emphasizing or expecting the worst
the poor woman was feeling hopeless about ever finding her lost cat
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3
as in impossible
incapable of being solved or accomplished
keeping this desk organized is hopeless
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4
as in desperate
feeling or showing no hope
the hopeless look on the faces of the fans as the other team scored again
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hopeless
If the key is taken to be some primordial tradition, echoing faintly across world literature after tens of millennia, any effort to pin it down looks hopeless.
—
Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Throughout the 1970s, as much as Nicholson’s rebels or Beatty’s hopeless romantics, Keaton’s optimistic dreamers repeatedly collided with the realities of the times, measuring the distance between what the counterculture thought was possible and what the world would actually allow.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Gein’s sickness is singular and curable, but ours, as a society, is out of control and hopeless?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2025
The bubble-ists think that the Coreweave people are hopeless dreamers at best and shysters at worst.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hopeless
Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Throughout the 1970s, as much as Nicholson’s rebels or Beatty’s hopeless romantics, Keaton’s optimistic dreamers repeatedly collided with the realities of the times, measuring the distance between what the counterculture thought was possible and what the world would actually allow.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Gein’s sickness is singular and curable, but ours, as a society, is out of control and hopeless?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2025
The bubble-ists think that the Coreweave people are hopeless dreamers at best and shysters at worst.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hopeless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopeless
Adjective
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In honor of Bruce Willis, who’s been battling frontotemporal dementia for two years, last night’s Soho Sessions aimed to raise awareness of (and funds for) the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD), the organization leading research into the incurable condition.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
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In December 2024, Turner revealed he'd been diagnosed with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, an incurable bone marrow cancer.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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My appetite for more Lee is low, but Harjo’s Tulsa — cynical and lively at the same time — simmers with more to say.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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Certainly, the cynical have questioned if one organization is cleaning up a mess beget by another in the name of democratizing fashion, including through the proliferation of fossil-fuel materials.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Less than three minutes later, Sam Reinhart scored for the fourth game in a row and the 300th time in his career, blasting an impossible angle shot off DeSmith’s pads and into the cage.—
Adam H. Beasley,
Miami Herald,
2 Nov. 2025
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So the famous scramble crossing is impossible.—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Congress needs to go back in session because DC reporters are bored and desperate.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 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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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
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Director Yorgos Lanthimos says audiences have been divided on whether the film presents an optimistic or pessimistic view of the future.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
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Senators remain pessimistic about the chances of reaching a bipartisan deal to reopen the government despite the effects of the shutdown becoming more painful for the American people.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Hopeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopeless. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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