hopeless
- 01 B1 Intermediate
feeling that nothing good will happen and that a situation is impossible to change.
despairing or devoid of expectation; used to describe a person's internal emotional state regarding the future.
Simple“After weeks of bad news, he felt hopeless about finding a new job.”
In context“The refugees felt increasingly hopeless as the winter approached and the peace negotiations showed no signs of progress.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
describing a situation that is so bad it cannot be fixed or improved.
providing no grounds for hope or improvement; describing an objective situation that is beyond remedy.
Simple“The car was in such a bad accident that the mechanics said it was a hopeless case.”
In context“The legal team eventually conceded that their appeal was a hopeless cause given the overwhelming evidence presented by the prosecution.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
very bad at doing something; having no talent for a specific task.
completely lacking in skill or aptitude for a particular activity. Often used with the preposition 'at'.
Simple“I am hopeless at cooking, so I usually just order pizza.”
In context“Despite his passion for the sport, he admitted he was hopeless at tennis and could rarely hit the ball over the net.”
UsageUsually followed by the preposition 'at' and a noun or gerund.
Synonyms
From hope + -less, compare Swedish hopplös.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.