Word
despair
Phoneticsde·spair, stress on the second syllable
US/dɪˈspɛɹ/
UK/dɪspˈeə/
In Japanese
disappointment; despair
desperation; despair; self-abandonment
Japanese from JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR. All sources.
Definitions
01total hopelessness
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the feeling that there is no hope at all and that a situation will never get better.
n. the complete loss or absence of hope; a state of profound despondency.
“He was filled with despair when he realized he had lost his job again.”
“A sense of quiet despair settled over the community as the factory, their primary employer for decades, announced its permanent closure.”
Synonyms
02a cause of hopelessness
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Literary
n. a person or thing that causes you to lose all hope.
n. a person or thing that is a source of hopelessness or extreme frustration.
“The broken-down old car was the despair of its owner.”
“The rebellious son was the despair of his parents, who had exhausted every resource trying to guide him toward a stable career.”
03to lose hope
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to stop having any hope that something will succeed or improve.
v. to abandon all hope or expectation; to be overcome by a sense of futility.
“Do not despair; we will find a way to solve this problem together.”
“Though the doctors despaired of his recovery, the patient showed remarkable resilience and began to walk again within months.”
Usage
Often used with the preposition 'of' before a noun or gerund.
Pitfall
She despaired to find her keys.
She despaired of finding her keys.
When the verb is followed by an action, use the preposition 'of' followed by a gerund (-ing form).
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Crossing 1.5°C is a call for greater action, not despair.” “Miguel Chaiwa scored a stoppage-time own goal as Hibernian suffered Conference League playoff despair for the second year running in a 3-2 home defeat by Gent.” Etymology
From Middle English dispeir, from Anglo-Norman despeir and Old French desperer (from Latin dēspērō, dēspērāre), or desesperer, from des- (“dis-”) + esperer (“hope”). See also desperate. Displaced native Old English ormōdnes (“despair”) and Old English ortrīewan (“to despair”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944EikenEikenTest in Practical English ProficiencyThe English proficiency test from the Eiken Foundation of Japan, widely taken by Japanese students. Grades run from 5 to 1, with Pre-1 and Pre-2 between them.Pre-1
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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