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 soul mate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cynical
emphasizing or expecting the worst
the poor woman was feeling hopeless about ever finding her lost cat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in impossible
incapable of being solved or accomplished
keeping this desk organized is hopeless
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in desperate
feeling or showing no hope
the hopeless look on the faces of the fans as the other team scored again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 hopeless
For individuals dealing with depression, waiting weeks or even months for relief can feel overwhelming and hopeless.
—
Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2025
Many have expressed concerns over the wave of state laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care, which has made finding treatment more difficult and left many feeling hopeless.
—Dr. Alice Gao, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2025
But then there are callers with questions the sisters can’t just look up or patch through — those in distress or angry or hopeless.
—Giovanna Dell’orto, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2025
Previewing the playoffs with a playoff team draft Finding 3 positive thoughts for each of the NHL’s 15 most hopeless teams
16 stats: Blues’ turnaround, Lane Hutson’s stardom and Stars’ struggles
Comments
D
Dan N.
· 4h 17m ago
Helle is thee best.
—Scott Powers, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hopeless
Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2025
Many have expressed concerns over the wave of state laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care, which has made finding treatment more difficult and left many feeling hopeless.
—Dr. Alice Gao, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2025
But then there are callers with questions the sisters can’t just look up or patch through — those in distress or angry or hopeless.
—Giovanna Dell’orto, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2025
Previewing the playoffs with a playoff team draft Finding 3 positive thoughts for each of the NHL’s 15 most hopeless teams
16 stats: Blues’ turnaround, Lane Hutson’s stardom and Stars’ struggles
Comments
D
Dan N.
· 4h 17m ago
Helle is thee best.
—Scott Powers, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hopeless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopeless
Adjective
-
Bosworth has endometriosis, an incurable condition in which tissue grows outside the uterine lining, often leading to fatigue, cramping, heavy periods and infertility.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The incurable and terminal disease is a rare and aggressive brain tumor found on the brain stem.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Lee’s cynical cardsharp of a brother, Julius (Jacob Elordi), was meant to be part of that dream move, but the call of gambling takes Julius to Las Vegas instead.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Now, posters are more cynical and there’s a fatalist bent to the conversations that wasn’t there before.—
Fortesa Latifi,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
As is often the problem with biopics of all kinds — jukebox musical or not — the sheer scope of a life is impossible to capture in a mere 2 hour runtime.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
27 Apr. 2025
-
And after dark, the dealers were impossible to miss: short young men in hoodies and women in pajama pants, slinking around corners with side packs.—
Jason Motlagh,
Rolling Stone,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Surely Russia, desperate for a deal, would give up its opposition to such assurances.—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Such are desperate decisions made in an effort to reinvent oneself that almost always end in despair.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
These lines represent Elisabeth at her most despairing.—
Elizabeth Djinis,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Apr. 2025
-
By turns giddy, anxious, and despairing, these poems have endeared him to generations of ordinary readers who find in the tempestuous and ultimately brokenhearted poet a strikingly modern and profoundly accessible figure.—
Daniel Mendelsohn,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Though the courts have not invariably ruled against Trump, the Administration’s record so far is, to use one of the President’s favorite words, sad.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
-
The sad story of Alex Verdugo was one of the most puzzling dramas of the MLB offseason.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This marks the most pessimistic attitude on jobs that Gallup has recorded since January 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Both predictions are more pessimistic than the fund’s January projections, which came before Trump’s flurry of tariff announcements took America’s average import tax to its highest level in a century.—
Olesya Dmitracova,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Some 59% of voters are unhappy with how things are going in the country.—
Dana Blanton,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Particularly now that Americans are unhappy with the state of economy.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hopeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopeless. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share