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to despair

to despair

34 4.1
To lose all hope
  • verb
  • /dɪˈspɛr/
: desesperarse (de)
  • After struggling for months to find a job, he began to despair of ever being hired.
  • despair of finding
  • make someone despair
  • never despair

Yet here we are despairing, you know, So don't despair.

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Examples

  • But do not despair.

  • We must not despair of the Republic.

  • I do not despair of faith in this environment.

  • When they despair, give them hope.

  • In the meanwhile, I see no reason to despair.

  • If there is anyone out there, don't despair, I will find you.

  • There is no source of work in Honduras now, and people are despairing as they try to find work.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Dillon: Well, don't despair; there's enough faith to go around for everyone here.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Don't despair.

  • I put my lips close to the jamb and whispered, "Do not despair, Peaches."

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

to despond
vsto despair
1 9.6

To lose hope or confidence

is a total loss of hope showing stronger final hopelessness
to slip into despair
vsto despair
1 6.8

To start feeling hopeless slowly without noticing

is a direct complete loss of hope rather than a gradual beginning

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

To want something to happen and think it may be possible

Phrasal Verbs

To start feeling hopeless slowly without noticing

Compounds

pit of despair
  • Informal
2 9.0

A very deep feeling of sadness with no hope

8.0

A very strong feeling that nothing will get better and you have no hope

How Hopeless

to despair
34 4.1
discouraged
67 3.4

Surface Forms

despair infinitive
despaired past
despaired past participle
despairing present participle
despairs third person singular

Etymology

Despair comes from Latin parts de- 'without' and sperare 'to hope', and it shares the same root as desperate. So, to despair is to lose all hope or to stop believing that something good will happen.