DESPAIR
| Pronunciation (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does despair mean?
• DESPAIR (noun)
The noun DESPAIR has 2 senses:
1. a state in which everything seems wrong and will turn out badly
2. the feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well
Familiarity information: DESPAIR used as a noun is rare.
• DESPAIR (verb)
The verb DESPAIR has 1 sense:
1. abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart
Familiarity information: DESPAIR used as a verb is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
• DESPAIR (noun)
Meaning:
A state in which everything seems wrong and will turn out badly
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Synonyms:
despair; desperation
Context example:
they were rescued from despair at the last minute
Hypernyms ("despair" is a kind of...):
condition; status (a state at a particular time)
Meaning:
The feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well
Classified under:
Nouns denoting feelings and emotions
Hypernyms ("despair" is a kind of...):
feeling (the experiencing of affective and emotional states)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "despair"):
hopelessness (the despair you feel when you have abandoned hope of comfort or success)
resignation; surrender (acceptance of despair)
discouragement; disheartenment; dismay (the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles)
pessimism (the feeling that things will turn out badly)
Antonym:
hope (the general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled)
• DESPAIR (verb)
Meaning:
Abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart
Classified under:
Verbs of feeling
Context example:
Don't despair--help is on the way!
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "despair"):
despond (lose confidence or hope; become dejected)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Sentence examples:
Sam and Sue despair
Sam and Sue despair over the results of the experiment
Antonym:
hope (be optimistic; be full of hope; have hopes)
