Synonyms of hopelessness

hopelessness

noun

as in desperation

utter loss of hope

the fans' hopelessness was dispelled as their team mounted a comeback

Synonyms & Similar Words

• desperation
• despair
• sadness
• sorrow
• depression
• melancholy
• despondency
• despondence
• forlornness
• misery
• oppression
• agony
• slough of despond
• pain
• unhappiness
• sorrowfulness
• resignation
• despond
• gloom
• dejection
• distress
• gloominess
• joylessness
• mournfulness
• acceptance
• dreariness
• self-pity
• blues
• pessimism
• dumps
• cynicism
• desolation
• blue devils
• wretchedness
• dolor
• downheartedness
• self-despair
• mopes
• doldrums
• woe
• disconsolateness
• dispiritedness
• woefulness
• dolefulness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hopefulness
• hope
• optimism
• cheerfulness
• cheer
• joy
• glee
• mirth
• happiness
• sunniness
• elation
• gaiety
• merriment
• euphoria
• ecstasy
• lightheartedness
• joviality
• exultation
• jollity
• exuberance
• exhilaration
• jubilation
• bliss
• rapture
• joyousness
• joyfulness
• gladness
• gleefulness
• mirthfulness
• blissfulness
• elatedness
• rapturousness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hopelessness

These proposals, many times rooted in sympathy and love, were presented as alternatives to the political structures and market logic that had so often led to war, exploitation, hopelessness, and suffering. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026

Sinatra’s sense of hopelessness is relentless — there’s no meaning in his pursuit of the killer. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026

Their disaffection can create a culture of hopelessness and emotional stasis that lasts well past any economic recovery. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026

What is left is a vague feeling of guilt or hopelessness, which rarely leads to action. — Jamil Wyne, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Although the wealthy Gulf oil states and small slivers of Arab elites flourished within this system, for most people the American order meant only violence, hopelessness, and deprivation. — Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

But in recent months and years, a sense of hopelessness has increasingly gripped those still remaining on the island. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

With the current political climate, Love sees the hopelessness in the world and took it upon herself to create room for people to be a part of a community that desires to curate a safe space. — Zuri Primos july 27, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026

Surveys indicate that young women are experiencing their highest rates of hopelessness on record. — Elizabeth Dray, STAT, 21 July 2026