despairing
[ dih-spair-ing ]
/ dɪˈspɛər ɪŋ /
adjective
given to despair or hopelessness.
indicating despair: a despairing look.
synonym study for despairing
1. See
hopeless.
OTHER WORDS FROM despairing
de·spair·ing·ly, adverb un·de·spair·ing, adjective un·de·spair·ing·ly, adverbWords nearby despairing
desorb,
desorption,
desoximetasone,
desoxy-,
despair,
despairing,
despatch,
despeciation,
despenser,
desperado,
desperate
Definition for despairing (2 of 2)
despair
[ dih-spair ]
/ dɪˈspɛər /
noun
loss of hope; hopelessness.
someone or something that causes hopelessness: He is the despair of his mother.
verb (used without object)
to lose, give up, or be without hope (often followed by of): to despair of humanity.
verb (used with object)
Obsolete.
to give up hope of.
Origin of despair
1275–1325; Middle English
despeir (noun),
despeiren (v.) < Anglo-French
despeir, Old French
despoir (noun),
despeir-, tonic stem of
desperer (v.) < Latin
dēspērāre to be without hope, equivalent to
dē-
de- +
spērāre to hope, derivative of
spēs hope
synonym study for despair
1.
Despair,
desperation,
despondency,
discouragement,
hopelessness refer to a state of mind caused by circumstances that seem too much to cope with.
Despair suggests total loss of hope, which may be passive or may drive one to furious efforts, even if at random:
in the depths of despair; courage born of despair.
Desperation is usually an active state, the abandonment of hope impelling to a furious struggle against adverse circumstances, with utter disregard of consequences:
an act of desperation when everything else had failed.
Despondency is a state of deep gloom and disheartenment:
a spell of despondency.
Discouragement is a loss of courage, hope, and ambition because of obstacles, frustrations, etc.:
His optimism yielded to discouragement.
Hopelessness is a loss of hope so complete as to result in a more or less permanent state of passive despair:
a state of hopelessness and apathy.
OTHER WORDS FROM despair
de·spair·er, noun self-de·spair, noun un·de·spaired, adjectiveExample sentences from the Web for despairing
British Dictionary definitions for despairing (1 of 2)
despairing
/ (dɪˈspɛərɪŋ) /
adjective
marked by or resulting from despair; hopeless or desperate
Derived forms of despairing
despairingly, adverbBritish Dictionary definitions for despairing (2 of 2)
despair
/ (dɪˈspɛə) /
verb
(intr often foll by of)
to lose or give up hope
I despair of his coming
(tr) obsolete
to give up hope of; lose hope in
noun
total loss of hope
a person or thing that causes hopelessness or for which there is no hope
Word Origin for despair
C14: from Old French
despoir hopelessness, from
desperer to despair, from Latin
dēspērāre, from
de- +
spērāre to hope