despair
English edit
Etymology edit
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”).
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /dɪˈspɛə(ɹ)/
- (General American) IPA(key): /dɪˈspɛɚ/
Audio (GA) (file) - Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
- Hyphenation: des‧pair
Verb edit
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.
- 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England, London: [s.n.], →OCLC:
- I would not despair the greatest design that could be attempted.
- 1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Economy”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC:
- I sometimes despair of getting anything quite simple and honest done in this world by the help of men.
- (transitive) To cause to despair.
- 2019, Tim Dee, Landfill:
- Thinking of what I was despairing about despaired me further
- (intransitive, often with “of”) To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 1:8:
- We despaired even of life.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
to despair of
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to cause to despair
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to be hopeless
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Noun edit
despair (countable and uncountable, plural despairs)
- Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.
- He turned around in despair, aware that he was not going to survive
- That which causes despair.
- That which is despaired of. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
Synonyms edit
Antonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
loss of hope
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