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despair

/dɪˈspɛɚ/noun, verb2 syllables

Despair means: a state in which all hope is lost or absent.

Synonyms for despair6

noun, as in a state in which all hope is lost or absent

also used for despair

despondency, hopelessness, despond, unhope, wanhope

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of despair

What does despair mean?3

noun

1

a state in which all hope is lost or absent“in the depths of despair”

2

the feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well“they moaned in despair and dismay”

verb

1

abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart“Don't despair — help is on the way!”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with despair?52

Show 40 near rhymes

All 52 rhymes for despair, grouped by syllable

Despair in a sentence

  • Fear, despair, and weakness pressed in around me.Igider
  • She cried loudly, wailing and hitting her face in despair.Aghanim
  • In the play, the hero finally understands his mistake and cries out in despair.rul
  • The girl's knees buckled, and she sank to the floor in evident despair.Ooneykcall
  • Do not despair, all is not yet lost.dkulp
  • Patience is a minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue.carlosalberto
  • With a courage born of despair, she faced her opponent in a duel.sundown
  • Justinian, in despair, considered fleeing but his wife is said to have dissuaded him.Feyza

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of despair

as a noun

plural
despairs

as a verb

past tense
despaired
present participle
despairing
third-person singular
despairs
past participle
despaired