pit of despair

plural pits of despair

1. figurativelyA feeling of utter dread and that there is absolutely nothing that can be done to improve the situation.

   He threw behind him the implements of his profession, he walked melancholy home, reflecting on the opportunity he had lost, which threw him into the pit of despair.

   1812, “Persian Tales of Inatulla of Delhi”, in Henry William Weber, transl., Tales of the East, volume 2, Edinburgh: James Ballantyne & Co, page 563

   2 more examples

   […] many who are aware at whose cost this accursed cheapness is achieved, and into what a pit of despair these thoughtless economists are plunging the mothers of our working classes.

   1852, Thomas Beames, The Rookeries of London, 2nd edition, London: Thomas Bosworth, page 263

   One calls LinkedIn a “pit of despair.” Another feels an overwhelming lack of purpose. Yet another groused about simply feeling stuck. For myriad Hollywood executives who have lost their jobs over the past year, finding work has not been the only challenge they’ve have had to overcome. It’s also the feeling of hopelessness that come with being out of the game with little to no promise of ever returning.

   2024 July 24, Lynette Rice, “Hollywood’s Mental Health Crisis: How Job Losses Are Impacting Industry Executives As LinkedIn Is Labeled A “Pit Of Despair””, in Deadline

   Synonyms: slough of despond