despair

¹de·spair

verb \di-ˈsper\

Definition of DESPAIR

intransitive verb

: to lose all hope or confidence <despair of winning>

transitive verb

obsolete : to lose hope for

— de·spair·er noun

Examples of DESPAIR

1. Things look bad now, but don't despair.
2. <we despaired when we saw how little time we had left to complete our project>
3. Sometimes it is hard not to despair about relations between men and women in American society. They seem to have hit rock bottom. —Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn, New Republic, 6 May 2002
4. It is possible that at this stage Caesar had not altogether despaired of a consensual solution to the difficulties facing the Republic. —Anthony Everitt, Cicero, (2001) 2003
5. Yet, until very recently, Alzheimer's was so poorly understood that scientists despaired of finding a treatment, much less a cure. —Ken Garber, Technology, March 2001

Origin of DESPAIR

Middle English despeiren, from Anglo-French desperer, from Latin desperare, from de- + sperare to hope; akin to Latin spes hope — more at speed

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to DESPAIR

Synonyms: despond, lose heart

Antonyms: brighten, cheer (up), perk (up)

Related Words: give up, surrender, yield; darken, sadden; agonize, bleed, grieve, hurt, mourn, sorrow, suffer; discourage, dishearten, dispirit

Near Antonyms: exult, rejoice; assure, encourage, hearten, reassure; hope

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Rhymes with DESPAIR

affair, aglare, airfare, Ajmer, Altair, antbear, armchair, au pair, aware, bakeware, barware, Basseterre, Baudelaire, beachwear, bergère, beware, bid fair, big hair, black bear, bricklayer, broodmare, brown bear, bugbear, caneware, carfare, Carrère, cave bear, chi-square, clayware, club chair, compare, compere, confrere, cookware, corsair, courseware, creamware, crosshair, cudbear, daymare, dead air, decare, deck chair, declare, delftware, dishware, éclair, elsewhere, ensnare, eyewear, fanfare, fieldfare, firmware, flatware, Flaubert, footwear, forbear, forebear, forswear, foursquare, freeware, funfair, galère, giftware, glassware, Great Bear, groupware, Gruyère, guard hair, hardware, health care, hectare, high chair, horsehair, hot air, impair, infare, Khmer, Kildare, knitwear, life-care, light air, longhair, loungewear, Mayfair, menswear, meunière, midair, mohair, Molière, neckwear, nightmare, no fair, outstare, out-there, outwear, playwear, plein air, plowshare, Poor Clare, Port Blair, portiere, premiere, prepare, pushchair, rainwear, redware, repair, root hair, Sancerre, sea hare, shank's mare, shareware, shorthair, side chair, Sinclair, skiwear, sleepwear, slipware, sloth bear, software, somewhere, spongeware, sportswear, stemware, stoneware, sun bear, swimwear, threadbare, tinware, torchère, trouvère, tuyere, unfair, unhair, unswear, Voltaire, warfare, welfare, wheelchair, wirehair, workfare