DESPAIR

despair

(noun) 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”

despair, desperation

(noun) 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”

despair

(verb) abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart; “Don’t despair--help is on the way!”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

despair (third-person singular simple present despairs, present participle despairing, simple past and past participle despaired)

(transitive, obsolete) To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.

(transitive, obsolete) To cause to despair.

(intransitive, often with “of”) To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation.

Noun

despair (countable and uncountable, plural despairs)

Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.

That which causes despair.

That which is despaired of.

Synonyms

• desperation

• despondency

• hopelessness

Antonyms

• hope

Anagrams

• Piedras, aperids, aspired, diapers, praised, pre-AIDS

Source: Wiktionary

De*spair", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Despaired; p. pr. & vb. n. Despairing.] Etym: [OE. despeiren, dispeiren, OF. desperer, fr. L. desperare; de- + sperare to hope; akin to spes hope, and perh. to spatium space, E. space, speed; cf. OF. espeir hope, F. espoir. Cf. Prosper, Desperate.]

Definition: To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation; -- often with of. We despaired even of life. 2 Cor. i. 8. Never despair of God's blessings here. Wake.

Syn.

– See Despond.

De*spair", v. t.

1. To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of. [Obs.] I would not despair the greatest design that could be attempted. Milton.

2. To cause to despair. [Obs.] Sir W. Williams.

De*spair", n. Etym: [Cf. OF. despoir, fr. desperer.]

1. Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency. We in dark dreams are tossing to and fro, Pine with regret, or sicken with despair. Keble. Before he [Bunyan] was ten, his sports were interrupted by fits of remorse and despair. Macaulay.

2. That which is despaired of. "The mere despair of surgery he cures." Shak.

Syn.

– Desperation; despondency; hopelessness.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition