Princeton's WordNet(1.67 / 6 votes)Rate this definition:

1. despair, desperation(noun)

   a state in which all hope is lost or absent

   "in the depths of despair"; "they were rescued from despair at the last minute"; "courage born of desperation"

2. despair(verb)

   the feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well

   "they moaned in despair and dismay"; "one harsh word would send her into the depths of despair"

3. despair(verb)

   abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart

   "Don't despair--help is on the way!"

Wiktionary(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. despair(Noun)

   Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.

   He turned around in despair, aware that he was not going to survive

2. despair(Noun)

   That which is despaired of.

3. despair(Verb)

   To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.

4. despair(Verb)

   To cause to despair.

5. despair(Verb)

   To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Despair(verb)

   to be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation; -- often with of

2. Despair(verb)

   to give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of

3. Despair(verb)

   to cause to despair

4. Despair(noun)

   loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency

5. Despair(noun)

   that which is despaired of

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Despair

   Despair is one of the Endless, fictional characters from Neil Gaiman's comic book series, The Sandman. Despair is the twin sister of Desire. She is squat, flabby and pale-skinned, with black hair, gray eyes, and pointed teeth. Her voice is little more than a whisper, and she has no odor, but her shadow smells musky and pungent, like the skin of a snake. She does not wear clothes. On a finger of her left hand she wears a ring with a hook attached to it, with which she habitually carves her flesh. The hook is her sigil in the galleries of the other characters. Her realm is a gray space in which floats a white fog and countless mirrors, which are connected to mirrors in the human world, through which she looks on those who are in despair. The only other inhabitants of her realm are her pet rats. Despair sometimes acts together with Desire when she/he is plotting against the elder Endless, most notably when Despair takes on a challenge with Morpheus over the life of Joshua Abraham Norton, seemingly at Desire's bidding. She is less distanced from the family than Desire, though, and seems to have some feeling at least for Delirium, and also seems to miss Destruction so much that she is able to manipulate Dream into feeling guilty over Destruction's abadoning of his duty. She does not say much, and consequently appears brusque, but her speech at Morpheus' wake in The Wake reveals her sympathy and feeling for him.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Despair

   de-spār′, v.i. to be without hope: to despond.—n. want of hope: utter hopelessness: that which causes despair.—adj. Despair′ful (Spens.).—p.adj. Despair′ing, apt to despair: full of despair.—adv. Despair′ingly. [O. Fr. desperer—L. desperāre, -ātum—de, neg., and sperāre, to hope.]

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. despair

   Song lyrics by despair -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by despair on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'despair' in Nouns Frequency: #2519

Anagrams for despair »

1. praised

2. aspired

3. diapers

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of despair in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of despair in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

1. Joan Baez:

   Action is the antidote to despair.

2. Matshona Dhliwayo:

   Hope is a better friend than despair.

3. George Bernard Shaw:

   He who has never hoped can never despair.

4. Thomas Carlyle:

   In idleness there is a perpetual despair.

5. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas:

   Do not push my people into further despair.

Images & Illustrations of despair