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
Eagles frequently feature in Tolkien’s stories, often swooping in and saving other characters from seemingly hopeless situations.
—
Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 5 May 2025
Patients in the study described feeling hopeless and disheartened, less confident and less competent.
—Indu Subramanian, The Conversation, 1 May 2025
All seemed hopeless for Moore and Mansell, until, out of the blue, a lawyer with the Office of the White House Counsel contacted Moore’s defense lawyers, Seitles and Litwin-Diego, in April to inquire about the case.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
The longtime psych-rock staple co-wrote the album with filmmaker Matt Yoka to be a collection of American stories about hopeless kleptomaniacs, urban explorers, and other people who slip through the cracks.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hopeless
Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 5 May 2025
Patients in the study described feeling hopeless and disheartened, less confident and less competent.
—Indu Subramanian, The Conversation, 1 May 2025
All seemed hopeless for Moore and Mansell, until, out of the blue, a lawyer with the Office of the White House Counsel contacted Moore’s defense lawyers, Seitles and Litwin-Diego, in April to inquire about the case.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
The longtime psych-rock staple co-wrote the album with filmmaker Matt Yoka to be a collection of American stories about hopeless kleptomaniacs, urban explorers, and other people who slip through the cracks.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hopeless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopeless
Adjective
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In April, the actor told PEOPLE exclusively that he'd been diagnosed with the incurable disease.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
16 June 2025
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reinstated nearly 200 workers who screen coal miners for black lung, an incurable progressive disease caused by long-term exposure to coal dust, following a federal judge’s order Tuesday.—
Nathaniel Weixel,
The Hill,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Mamdani proposes to pay for these splendid gifts to the city’s voters by raising taxes even further on the city’s top income earners, in the cynical belief that those who make up his tax base are stuck there, cannot flee, and are thus cows to be helplessly milked.—
The Editors,
National Review,
25 June 2025
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Too often, leaders are stuck between moral maximalism and cynical cost-cutting.—
HEC Paris Insights,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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There’s the A-list reckless elder, his upstart protegee (Damson Idris) and a high-octane mission that’s damn near impossible, with lots of speedy action intercut with scenes of its alpha male movie star out of his helmet and grinning for fans.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2025
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All Hurtigruten ships are small enough to access the most scenic fjords and remote locations that are impossible for larger cruise liners to navigate.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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The leaders of both are desperate to find a ‘solution’ to the issue, in order to ward off the electoral challenges from right-wing parties such as Reform U.K. and France’s National Rally.—
Frey Lindsay,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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Separate efforts by the United Nations to distribute limited food have been plagued by armed gangs looting trucks and by crowds of desperate people offloading supplies from convoys.—
WAFAA SHURAFA,
Arkansas Online,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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The arc of the subject’s life is evoked through steadily darkening, tightening mood, with certain scenes and setups replicated to variously despairing effect, from tacitly shifting points of view.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
28 May 2025
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That same investigation may find the veteran was despairing, had just gone through a divorce or something along those lines.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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Too much alcohol and your dreamy dessert turns into a sad, semi-frozen slush.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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All three movies are packed with dinosaurs—dinosaurs running, dinosaurs being sad and winsome, dinosaurs showing ruthless disregard for human life.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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The survey — which sampled 1,265 registered voters June 5-9 — also found that Americans are pessimistic about the likelihood that a ceasefire will be achieved soon.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2025
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Pessimism — and yet hope Altogether, the administration's actions — and pledges to cut funding for NIH grants by more than 40% next year — have many researchers pessimistic about the prospects of developing an HIV vaccine anytime soon.—
Jonathan Lambert,
NPR,
10 June 2025
Adjective
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This gives the creditor an additional target to pursue and make very unhappy which can indirectly put pressure on the debtor to pay the judgment.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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Circulation increased and the publication won two Pulitzer Prizes, but the owner, conservative Harry Guggenheim, was unhappy with the paper’s shift to the left, and he and Moyers were divided over the Vietnam War and the 1968 presidential election.—
Carmel Dagan,
Variety,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hopeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopeless. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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