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despair

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.03 sec.
de·spair  (d-spâr)
intr.v. de·spaired, de·spair·ing, de·spairs
1. To lose all hope: despaired of reaching shore safely.
2. To be overcome by a sense of futility or defeat.
n.
1. Complete loss of hope.
2. One despaired of or causing despair: unmotivated students that are the despair of their teachers.

[Middle English despeiren, from Old French desperer, from Latin dsprre : d-, de- + sprre, to hope; see sp- in Indo-European roots. N., from Middle English despeir, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French desperer, to despair.]

despair
Noun
total loss of hope
Verb
to lose or give up hope: we must not despair of finding a peaceful solution [Old French despoir hopelessness]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.despairdespair - a state in which all hope is lost or absent; "in the depths of despair"; "they were rescued from despair at the last minute"; "courage born of desperation"
condition, status - a state at a particular time; "a condition (or state) of disrepair"; "the current status of the arms negotiations"
2.despair - the feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well; "they moaned in despair and dismay"; "one harsh word would send her into the depths of despair"
feeling - the experiencing of affective and emotional states; "she had a feeling of euphoria"; "he had terrible feelings of guilt"; "I disliked him and the feeling was mutual"
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
hope - the general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled; "in spite of his troubles he never gave up hope"
Verb1.despair - abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart; "Don't despair--help is on the way!"
despond - lose confidence or hope; become dejected; "The supporters of the Presidential candidate desponded when they learned the early results of the election"
hope - be optimistic; be full of hope; have hopes; "I am still hoping that all will turn out well"

despair
verb 1. lose hope, give up, lose heart, be despondent, be dejected
Translations
Spanish despair [dɪsˈpɛəʳ] ndesesperación f
vi to despair of → desesperar de;
in despair → desesperado

French despair [dɪsˈpɛəʳ] ndésespoir m
vi to despair of → désespérer de;
to be in despair → être au désespoir

German despair [dɪsˈpɛəʳ] nVerzweiflung f
vi to despair of → alle Hoffnung aufgeben auf +acc;
to be in despair → verzweifelt sein

Italian despair [dɪsˈpɛəʳ] ndisperazione f
vi to despair of → disperare di;
in despair → disperato/a

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Then listen, not to dulcet harmony, But to a discord wrung by mad despair Out of this bosom's depths of bitterness, To ease my heart and plant a sting in thine.
he kept repeating in despair, as he remembered the acutely painful sensations caused him by this quarrel.
Why despair and go into such frenzies, Makar Alexievitch?
 
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