Meanings
verbdespair (third-person singular simple present despairs, present participle despairing, simple past and past participle despaired)
present singular third person despairs · participle present despairing · participle past despaired · past despaired
- obsoletetransitiveTo give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.
I would not despair the greatest design that could be attempted.
1644, John Milton, Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England, London: [s.n.], →OCLC1 more example
I sometimes despair of getting anything quite simple and honest done in this world by the help of men.
1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Economy”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC - transitiveTo cause to despair.
Thinking of what I was despairing about despaired me further
2019, Tim Dee, Landfill - intransitiveTo be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation.
We despaired even of life.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 1:8
noundespair (countable and uncountable, plural despairs)
plural despairs
- countableuncountableLoss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.
My daughter's behavior drives me to despair.
1 more example
He turned around in despair, aware that he was not going to survive.
Synonyms: desperation, despondency, hopelessness, desperation, despond, despondency, hopelessness, unhope · Antonyms: hope, respair
- countableuncountableThat which causes despair.
- countableuncountableThat which is despaired of.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounLoss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindēspērō, dēspērāre
- Old Frenchdesperer
- Anglo-Normandespeir
- Middle Englishdispeir
- Englishdespair
From Middle English dispeir, from Anglo-Norman despeir and Old French desperer (from Latin dēspērō, dēspērāre), or desesperer, from des- (“dis-”) + esperer (“hope”). See also desperate. Displaced native Old English ormōdnes (“despair”) and Old English ortrīewan (“to despair”).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀπελπίζω, ἀθυμέω
- ἀπελπίζω (apelpízō)to be hopeless
- ἀθυμέω (athuméō)to be hopeless
- δυσθυμία (dusthumía)loss of hope
Arabic يَئِسَ, يَأْس
- يَئِسَ (yaʔisa)to be hopeless
- يَأْس (yaʔs)loss of hope
Basque etsipen
- etsipenloss of hope
Bengali নিরাশা
- নিরাশা (niraśa)loss of hope
Bulgarian отча́йвам се, отчайвам
- отча́йвам се (otčájvam se)to despair of
- отчайвам (otčajvam)to cause to despair
- губя надежда (gubja nadežda)to be hopeless
- отча́яние (otčájanie)loss of hope
- безнаде́ждност (beznadéždnost)loss of hope
Catalan desesperació
- desesperacióloss of hope
Chinese Cantonese 絕望 /绝望
- 絕望 /绝望 (zyut⁶ mong⁶)loss of hope
Chinese Mandarin 絕望 /绝望, 絕望 /绝望
- 絕望 /绝望 (juéwàng)to despair of
- 絕望 /绝望 (juéwàng)loss of hope
Czech zoufat, zoufalství
- zoufatto be hopeless
- zoufalstvíloss of hope
- beznadějnostloss of hope
- beznadějloss of hope
Danish opgivelse, håbløshed
- opgivelseloss of hope
- håbløshedloss of hope
Dutch tot wanhoop drijven, wanhopen
- tot wanhoop drijvento cause to despair
- wanhopento be hopeless
- wanhooploss of hope
Esperanto malesperi, malespero
- malesperito be hopeless
- malesperoloss of hope
Estonian meeleheide, ahastus
- meeleheideloss of hope
- ahastusloss of hope
Finnish aiheuttaa epätoivoa, menettää toivonsa
- aiheuttaa epätoivoato cause to despair
- menettää toivonsato be hopeless
- luopua toivostato be hopeless
- epätoivoloss of hope
French désespérer, désespérer
- désespérerto despair of
- désespérerto be hopeless
- désespoirloss of hope
German verzweifeln, zur Verzweiflung bringen
- verzweifelnto despair of
- zur Verzweiflung bringento cause to despair
- verzweifelnto be hopeless
- die Hoffnung aufgebento be hopeless
- Verzweiflungloss of hope
- Hoffnungslosigkeitloss of hope
Greek απελπίζομαι, απελπισία
- απελπίζομαι (apelpízomai)to be hopeless
- απελπισία (apelpisía)loss of hope
Hebrew התייאש, ייאש
- התייאש (hitya'ésh)to despair of
- ייאש (ye'ésh)to cause to despair
- יֵאוּשׁ \ ייאוש (ye'ush)loss of hope
Hindi निराशा, मायूसी
- निराशा (nirāśā)loss of hope
- मायूसी (māyūsī)loss of hope
Hungarian csügged, elcsügged
- csüggedto despair of
- elcsüggedto despair of
- kétségbeesikto despair of
- elcsüggesztto cause to despair
- kétségbeesésloss of hope
- csüggedésloss of hope
Icelandic örvænta, örvilnun
- örvæntato be hopeless
- örvilnunloss of hope
- örvæntingloss of hope
- örvinglunloss of hope
Indonesian berputus asa, putus asa
- berputus asato be hopeless
- putus asaloss of hope
Irish éadóchas
- éadóchasloss of hope
Italian disperare, disperare
- disperareto despair of
- disperareto be hopeless
- disperazioneloss of hope
Japanese 絶望する, 諦める
- 絶望する (zetsubō suru)to despair of
- 諦める (akirameru)to despair of
- 絶望 (zetsubō)loss of hope
- 失望 (shitsubō)loss of hope
Korean 절망
- 절망 (jeolmang)loss of hope
Latin dēspērō, desperatio
- dēspērōto despair of
- desperatioloss of hope
Latvian bezcerība, izmisums
- bezcerībaloss of hope
- izmisumsloss of hope
Lithuanian neviltis, beviltiškumas
- neviltisloss of hope
- beviltiškumasloss of hope
Māori takarure, rāwakiwaki
- takarureto be hopeless
- rāwakiwakiloss of hope
- takaruretangaloss of hope
Norwegian fortvile over, fortvile
- fortvile overto despair of
- fortvileto be hopeless
Norwegian Bokmål fortvilelse, håpløshet
- fortvilelseloss of hope
- håpløshetloss of hope
- desperasjonloss of hope
Polish rozpaczać, rozpacz
- rozpaczaćto be hopeless
- rozpaczloss of hope
- beznadziejaloss of hope
- beznadziejnośćloss of hope
Portuguese desesperar-se, desesperar
- desesperar-seto despair of
- desesperarto cause to despair
- desesperar-seto be hopeless
- desesperoloss of hope
Romanian despera, despera
- desperato despair of
- desperato be hopeless
- desperareloss of hope
Russian отча́иваться, отча́яться
- отча́иваться (otčáivatʹsja)to despair of
- отча́яться (otčájatʹsja)to despair of
- отча́яние (otčájanije)loss of hope
- безнадёжность (beznadjóžnostʹ)loss of hope
- тлен (tlen)loss of hope
Slovak zúfalstvo, beznádej
- zúfalstvoloss of hope
- beznádejloss of hope
- beznádejnosťloss of hope
Spanish desesperanzar, desesperanzarse
- desesperanzarto cause to despair
- desesperanzarseto be hopeless
- desesperarseto be hopeless
- desesperoloss of hope
Swahili kukata tamaa
- kukata tamaato be hopeless
Swedish förtvivla, misströsta
- förtvivlato despair of
- misströstato despair of
- förtvivlato be hopeless
- desperationloss of hope
- förtvivlanloss of hope
- hopplöshetloss of hope
Tagalog desperado, kawalang-pag-asa
- desperadoto be hopeless
- kawalang-pag-asaloss of hope
Thai ความสิ้นหวัง, สิ้นหวัง
- ความสิ้นหวังloss of hope
- สิ้นหวัง (sîn-wǎng)loss of hope
Turkish umutsuzluk
- umutsuzlukloss of hope
Ukrainian ві́дчай, відча́й
- ві́дчай (vídčaj)loss of hope
- відча́й (vidčáj)loss of hope
- ро́зпач (rózpač)loss of hope
- розпу́ка (rozpúka)loss of hope
- безнаді́йність (beznadíjnistʹ)loss of hope
Urdu یاس, مایُوسی
- یاس (yās)loss of hope
- مایُوسی (māyūsī)loss of hope
- نا اُمِّیدی (nā ummīdī)loss of hope
Vietnamese sự tuyệt vọng
- sự tuyệt vọngloss of hope
Yiddish ייִאוש
- ייִאוש (yiesh)loss of hope
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with despair
aretherewherecarecompareairsharehairmaryrepairfairbearwearrarelayerpairawareprepareprayermayorterrorPierresparebare
All rhymes →Sounds the same
(weak vowel merger) dispair(weak vowel merger) dispair
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
despair. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despair
MLA
“despair.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despair. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “despair,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despair.
Source: despair on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.