as in desperation
utter loss of hope
the fans' hopelessness was dispelled as their team mounted a comeback
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Recent Examples of hopelessness
But despite the colorful surroundings, there’s a pervasive hopelessness in this off-kilter world that looks a lot like our own.
—
ABC News, 20 May 2026
Advertisement For decades, the dominant story about Watts was one of pathology and hopelessness.
—Terry McDonell, Time, 21 Apr. 2026
The other featured a comeback that saw hopelessness turn into jubilation.
—Peter Warren, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
For her and many other Iranians who spoke to CNN – their surnames withheld to protect their identities – the past three weeks have been filled with a sense of hopelessness and fear.
—Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
Depression and hopelessness are at their highest ever measured.
—Ariel David, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2026
Johnson said depression often manifests as persistent negative self-perception, hopelessness, feelings of worthlessness and social withdrawal.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 8 Mar. 2026
His motion veered between expressions of hopelessness and elaborate proposals for prisoner exchanges.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
And with that came a feeling of complete hopelessness.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 20 May 2026
Advertisement For decades, the dominant story about Watts was one of pathology and hopelessness.
—Terry McDonell, Time, 21 Apr. 2026
The other featured a comeback that saw hopelessness turn into jubilation.
—Peter Warren, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
For her and many other Iranians who spoke to CNN – their surnames withheld to protect their identities – the past three weeks have been filled with a sense of hopelessness and fear.
—Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
Depression and hopelessness are at their highest ever measured.
—Ariel David, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2026
Johnson said depression often manifests as persistent negative self-perception, hopelessness, feelings of worthlessness and social withdrawal.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 8 Mar. 2026
His motion veered between expressions of hopelessness and elaborate proposals for prisoner exchanges.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
And with that came a feeling of complete hopelessness.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopelessness
Noun
-
For me, the art was a distraction, an effort to generate excitement and sell extra tickets — something that the garden, which is attracting large numbers of visitors lately, no longer needs to do with such desperation.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
-
This is a strategy born not of manly strength, but of submissive desperation.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
Those raw emotions and moments of shared experience, which can be so hard to find in a fractured society, will be replicated all over the world in the coming weeks, bring families, communities and entire nations together, uniting them in hope, joy and, of course, despair.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
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On the other side of the couch, Kyle sits staring at them both, alternating between anger and grief, and although Andy didn’t spend much time trying to peel back the layers of Kyle’s despair, his aimlessness is as much at the heart of this season as anything Amanda and West did.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
The news of his death was met with shock and sadness from fans, players and fellow broadcasters around the NBA.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
7 June 2026
-
But sadness also, along with regret, surrounding Arguijo-Mejia.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hopelessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopelessness. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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