Definitions for despair
dɪˈspɛərde·spair

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

1. despair, desperationnoun

   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. despairverb

   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. despairverb

   abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart

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

Wiktionary(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. despairnoun

   Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.

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

2. despairnoun

   That which is despaired of.

3. despairverb

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

4. despairverb

   To cause to despair.

5. despairverb

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

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. DESPAIRnoun

   Etymology: desespoir, French.

   1. Hopelesness; despondence; loss of hope.

   You had either never attempted this change, set on with hope, or never discovered it, stopt with despair. Philip Sidney, b. ii.

   We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair. 2 Cor. iv. 8.

   Weary’d, forsaken, and pursu’d at last,
   All safety in despair of safety plac’d,
   Courage he thence resumes, resolv’d to bear
   All their assaults, since ’tis in vain to fear. John Denham.

   Equal their flame, unequal was their care;
   One lov’d with hope, one languish’d with despair. Dryden.

   Despair is the thought of the unattainableness of any good, which works differently in mens minds, sometimes producing uneasiness or pain, sometimes rest and indolency. John Locke.

   2. That which causes despair; that of which there is no hope.

   Strangely visited people,
   All swol’n and ulc’rous, pitiful to the eye;
   The mere despair of surgery, he cures;
   Hanging a golden stamp about their necks,
   Put on with holy prayers. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

   3. [In theology.] Loss of confidence in the mercy of God.

   Are not all or most evangelical virtues and graces in danger of extremes? As there is, God knows, too often a defect on the one side, so there may be an excess on the other: may not hope in God, or godly sorrow, be perverted into presumption or despair? Thomas Sprat, Sermons.

2. To Despairverb

   To be without hope; to despond.

   Etymology: despero, Latin.

   Though thou drewest a sword at thy friend, yet despair not; for there may be a turning. Ecclus. xxii. 21.

   We commend the wit of the Chinese, who despair of making of gold, but are mad upon making of silver. Francis Bacon.

   Never despair of God’s blessings here, or of his reward hereafter; but go on as you have begun. William Wake, Preparation.

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

1. Despairverb

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

2. Despairverb

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

3. Despairverb

   to cause to despair

4. Despairnoun

   loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency

5. Despairnoun

   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.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Despair

   Despair is the feeling of not having any hope left.

   I Despair him.

   Submitted by anonymous on May 6, 2019  

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.

Matched Categories

1. • Condition

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

How to pronounce despair?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say despair in sign language?

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

Examples of despair in a Sentence

1. Nicholas Schmidt:

   I think people feel a bit of despair, i get a sense that going forward we are going to be seeing a lot of very bright Argentine candidates. It's a shame for Argentina.

2. George Bernard Shaw:

   He who has never hoped can never despair.

3. Kim Usman:

   It’s heartbreaking, really, to see the faces of these people in despair.

4. Courtney Baker:

   I came to you during the most difficult time in my life. I was terrified, anxious and in complete despair. I didn’t know the truth yet about my baby, and that’s what I desperately needed from you, but instead of support and encouragement, you suggested we terminate our child. I told you her name, and you asked us again if we understood how low our quality of life would be with a child with Down syndrome. You suggested we reconsider our decision to continue the pregnancy.

5. Hector Berlioz:

   Every composer knows the anguish and despair occasioned by forgetting ideas which one had no time to write down.

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