despond

Meanings

verbdespond (third-person singular simple present desponds, present participle desponding, simple past and past participle desponded)

present singular third person desponds · participle present desponding · participle past desponded · past desponded

intransitiveTo give up the will, courage, or spirit; to become dejected, lose heart.
October 16, 1820, Thomas Scott, letter to the Rev. G. Knight, Harwell I should despair, or at least despond.
3 more examples
Yet still despond not, but proceed Along the path where fate may lead.
1867, John Conington, Aeneid, translation of original by Virgil, page 176
Others depress their own minds, [and] despond at the first difficulty.
a. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, →OCLC
June 17, 1825, Daniel Webster, Speech on the laying of the Corner Stone of the Bunker Hill Monument We wish that […] desponding patriotism may turn its eyes hitherward, and be assured that foundations of our national power still stand strong.

noundespond (uncountable)

archaicuncountableDespondency.
Synonyms: despair, desperation, despair, desperation, despondency, hopelessness, unhope, wanhope

Synonyms & antonyms

nounDespondency.

Also see

despair desperation despondency hopelessness unhope wanhope

Origin

Latindēspondeō“give up, abandon”
Englishdespond

From Latin dēspondeō (“give up, abandon”), from dē (“from”) + spondeō (“promise”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἀθυμέω

ἀθυμέω (athuméō)to give up the will, courage, or spirit

Bulgarian падам духом

падам духом (padam duhom)to give up the will, courage, or spirit

French se décourager

se découragerto give up the will, courage, or spirit

German verzagen

verzagento give up the will, courage, or spirit

Hungarian csügged, elcsügged

csüggedto give up the will, courage, or spirit
elcsüggedto give up the will, courage, or spirit

Portuguese desesperar-se

desesperar-seto give up the will, courage, or spirit

Turkish bedbin olmak, umut kesmek

bedbin olmakto give up the will, courage, or spirit
umut kesmekto give up the will, courage, or spirit
ümidini kaybetmekto give up the will, courage, or spirit

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with despond

beyond respond bond pond blond correspond fond wand Gironde frond sonde yond abscond amende across the pond bronde Parson's Pond transpond

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Spodden

Cite this entry

APA

despond. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despond

MLA

“despond.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despond. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “despond,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despond.

Source: despond on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.