1
as in desperation
utter loss of hope
the endless drought drove the farmers to despair
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dismay
the state of being discouraged
the other team's temporary lead caused some momentary despair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to grieve
to lose all hope or confidence
we despaired when we saw how little time we had left to complete our project
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despair
Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026
Dejan Furtula sighed with despair while looking at construction machines working around the clock to remove tons of trash clogging the Drina River near his hometown of Visegrad, in eastern Bosnia.
—Eldar Emric, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Anyone who ever despaired about their outstanding mortgage remaining virtually static despite months of repayments will relate.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despair
Noun
As as the cycle of hope and despair keeps being repeated with hopeful clues that amount to nothing, the audience is engulfed along with the parents into their nightmare.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026
Dejan Furtula sighed with despair while looking at construction machines working around the clock to remove tons of trash clogging the Drina River near his hometown of Visegrad, in eastern Bosnia.
—Eldar Emric, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
The news of her 23-year-old son’s execution shocked and despaired the world.
—Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Anyone who ever despaired about their outstanding mortgage remaining virtually static despite months of repayments will relate.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for despair
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despair
Noun
-
As half-time approached during Sunderland’s visit, there was a growing desperation for an opener from the Emirates crowd.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Saturday in the Battle at the Bay at Mission Bay High School, the last big event before the end of the regular season, Montgomery fell behind by 17 points, went on a 16-0 run, and then lost 57-56 to Steele Canyon when a desperation last-second shot banged off the rim.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The two become inseparable, to the dismay of Cathy’s paid companion Nelly (Vi Nguyen), and only become closer after Heathcliff takes a beating on Cathy’s behalf from her alcoholic father (Martin Clunes) for missing his birthday celebration.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
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Social media users expressed their dismay at the site crash and how quickly the kits sold out.—
Katey Psencik,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As the shellshocked families of six children and two women grieve their loss in one of the worst mass shootings in Canada's history, details are emerging about the shooter's mental health struggles and history with police.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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For Le, the coffee shop serves as a community space where customers feel free to grieve and share their experiences with loss.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Get ready for tears – of sadness, of fear, and of laughter.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026
-
That's my sadness around that game.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
SpongeBob doesn’t stay stuck in discouragement or disappointment for long, but rather looks for something positive to focus on.—
Liz Regalia,
Parents,
31 Jan. 2026
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Stand strong in your plans and strategies for 2026 even if February and early March bring some discouragement.—
Magi Helena,
Dallas Morning News,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Many legal cannabis ventures enrich hedge funds and politicians, and relatively few benefits accrue to the people who suffered jail time or worse when the drug was criminalized in every state.—
Ezra Marcus,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
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Follow along for live updates The 35-year-old snowboard cross specialist suffered a serious fall at training on Monday and reported worsening neck pain on Tuesday.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
His motion veered between expressions of hopelessness and elaborate proposals for prisoner exchanges.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
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The American intelligence community has long known that insurgent groups—many of which openly seek the destruction of the United States—rely on desperation, food insecurity, and hopelessness to gain recruits.—
Hana Kiros,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His death was also mourned on Instagram by artists including Creed, Godsmack, Daughtry and Sevendust.—
Brian Niemietz,
Mercury News,
8 Feb. 2026
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The Factbook's demise drew immediate concern from people who frequently rely on it for their work, as Reddit groups for teachers, librarians and travel agents mourned its passing.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despair.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despair. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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