despondency

D2E1S1P3O1N1D2E1N1C3Y4
UK/dɪˈspɒndənsi/

noun

The loss of hope or confidence; despair or dejection.

Similar
despairdesperationdespondhopelessnessunhopewanhopemelancholysorrow
OriginLatin dēspondentia →
UncommonScrabble 20
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Meanings

noundespondency (countable and uncountable, plural despondencies)

plural despondencies

  1. countableuncountableThe loss of hope or confidence; despair or dejection.

    Not everyone succumbed to such nostalgia and despondency. Some saw the existential threat to Scots as a call to document what remained.

    2023, Clive Young, “chapter three: From Union to Devolution”, in Unlocking Scots: The Secret Life of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Luath Press Limited, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 93

    Synonyms: despair, desperation, despair, desperation, despond, hopelessness, unhope, wanhope

  2. countableuncountableA feeling of depression or disheartenment.

    He kissed her brow, and left her. She watched him unconsciously, till the winding walk hid him from her sight, and then sank back on her seat, every nerve relaxing from its high-strained excitement into utter and still despondency.

    1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XV, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 127

    Synonyms: melancholy, sorrow, blueness, tristesse, mirthlessness, blues, crestfallenness, dejection

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe loss of hope or confidence; despair or dejection.

Similar
despairdesperationdespairdesperationdespondhopelessnessunhopewanhope

nounA feeling of depression or disheartenment.

Similar
melancholysorrowbluenesstristessemirthlessnessbluescrestfallennessdejectiondepressiondistressdolefulnessdownheartednessdreariheadforlornnessgriefheartsoreill-beinginfelicitymelancholia

More synonyms by meaning

nounfeeling downcast and disheartened and hopeless

Similar
despondenceheartsicknessdisconsolateness
Broader
depression
Also see
bluenessbluescrestfallennessdejectiondepressiondespairdesperationdesponddespondencedisconsolatenessdolefulnessdownheartednessdreariheadforlornnessgriefheartsicknessheartsorehopelessnessmelancholiamelancholymiserymishappinessmournprosternationremorserueruthsadnesssorrowsorrowfulnesstristfulnessundelightunhappinessunhopewanhopewoewoefarewretchedness

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latindēspondentia
  2. Englishdespondency

From Latin dēspondentia, from dēspondēns + -ia. Equivalent to despondent + -ency.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek δυσθυμία, δυσθυμία
  • δυσθυμία (dusthumía)loss of hope or confidence
  • δυσθυμία (dusthumía)a feeling of depression or disheartenment
Bulgarian отчаяние, безнадеждност
  • отчаяние (otčajanie)loss of hope or confidence
  • безнадеждност (beznadeždnost)loss of hope or confidence
  • униние (uninie)a feeling of depression or disheartenment
Catalan desesper, desesperació
  • desesperloss of hope or confidence
  • desesperacióloss of hope or confidence
  • desànima feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • abatimenta feeling of depression or disheartenment
Czech malomyslnost, malomyslnost
  • malomyslnostloss of hope or confidence
  • malomyslnosta feeling of depression or disheartenment
Danish modløshed, modløshed
  • modløshedloss of hope or confidence
  • modløsheda feeling of depression or disheartenment
Dutch wanhoop, radeloosheid
  • wanhooploss of hope or confidence
  • radeloosheidloss of hope or confidence
  • wanhoopa feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • radeloosheida feeling of depression or disheartenment
Finnish epätoivo, toivottomuus
  • epätoivoloss of hope or confidence
  • toivottomuusloss of hope or confidence
  • masennusa feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • apeusa feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • lannistuneisuusa feeling of depression or disheartenment
French désespoir, abattement
  • désespoirloss of hope or confidence
  • abattementa feeling of depression or disheartenment
German Verzagtheit, Mutlosigkeit
  • Verzagtheitloss of hope or confidence
  • Mutlosigkeitloss of hope or confidence
  • Verzweiflungloss of hope or confidence
  • Verzagenloss of hope or confidence
  • Niedergeschlagenheita feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • Mutlosigkeita feeling of depression or disheartenment
Greek αθυμία, αθυμία
  • αθυμία (athymía)loss of hope or confidence
  • αθυμία (athymía)a feeling of depression or disheartenment
Irish anaoibh, gruaim
  • anaoibha feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • gruaima feeling of depression or disheartenment
Italian abbattimento, abbattimento
  • abbattimentoloss of hope or confidence
  • abbattimentoa feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • scoraggiamentoa feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • sconfortoa feeling of depression or disheartenment
Latin maestitia, maeror
  • maestitiaa feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • maerora feeling of depression or disheartenment
Māori takaruretanga, ngākau pōuri
  • takaruretangaloss of hope or confidence
  • ngākau pōuriloss of hope or confidence
  • takaruretangaa feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • rāwakiwakia feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • ngākau pōuria feeling of depression or disheartenment
Norwegian motløshet, mistrøstighet
  • motløsheta feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • mistrøstigheta feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • nedtryktheta feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • nedtrykkinga feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • mismota feeling of depression or disheartenment
Polish zniechęcenie, beznadzieja
  • zniechęcenieloss of hope or confidence
  • beznadziejaloss of hope or confidence
  • zniechęceniea feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • zwątpieniea feeling of depression or disheartenment
Romanian disperare, mâhnire
  • disperareloss of hope or confidence
  • mâhnirea feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • melancoliea feeling of depression or disheartenment
Russian упадок духа, отчаянье
  • упадок духа (upadok duxa)loss of hope or confidence
  • отчаянье (otčajanʹje)loss of hope or confidence
  • отчаянье (otčajanʹje)a feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • уныние (unynije)a feeling of depression or disheartenment
Spanish desesperanza, desesperación
  • desesperanzaloss of hope or confidence
  • desesperaciónloss of hope or confidence
  • descorazonamientoloss of hope or confidence
Swedish modlöshet, hopplöshet
  • modlöshetloss of hope or confidence
  • hopplöshetloss of hope or confidence
Tagalog hinayo, paghihinayo
  • hinayoloss of hope or confidence
  • paghihinayoloss of hope or confidence
  • hinayoa feeling of depression or disheartenment
  • paghihinayoa feeling of depression or disheartenment
Turkish umutsuzluk, ümitsizlik
  • umutsuzlukloss of hope or confidence
  • ümitsizlikloss of hope or confidence
  • cesaretsizlika feeling of depression or disheartenment
Cite this entry
APA

despondency. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despondency

MLA

“despondency.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despondency. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “despondency,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despondency.

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