despair

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman despeir, from Old French desperer (from Latin despero, desperare), or desesperer, from des- (“dis-”) + esperer (“hope”). See also desperate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈspɛə(ɹ)/
• IPA^(key): /dɪˈspɛəɹ/

• Audio (GA):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: des‧pair

Verb

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

1. (transitive, obsolete) To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.
   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     I would not despair the greatest design that could be attempted.

2. (transitive, obsolete) To cause to despair.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir W. Williams to this entry?)

3. (intransitive, often with “of”) To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, 2 Corinthians 1:8

     We despaired even of life.

Translations

to despair of

• Bulgarian: отчайвам се (otčajvam se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 絕望／绝望 (zh) (juéwàng), 绝望 (zh) (juéwàng)

• French: désespérer (fr)
• German: verzweifeln (de)
• Hebrew: התייאש (hitya'ésh)
• Ido: desesperar (io)
• Japanese: 絶望する (ja) (ぜつぼうする, zetsubō suru), 諦める (ja) (あきらめる, akirameru)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Ladin: vester gram
• Latin: dēspērō (la)
• Macedonian: очајува (očajuva)
• Portuguese: desesperar-se (pt)
• Romanian: despera (ro)
• Russian: отча́иваться (ru) impf (otčáivatʹsja), отча́яться (ru) impf (otčájatʹsja)
• Spanish: desesperar (es)
• Swedish: förtvivla (sv), misströsta (sv)

to cause to despair

• Bulgarian: отчайвам (bg) (otčajvam)
• Georgian: სასოწარკვეთა (sasoc̣arḳveta)
• German: zur Verzweiflung bringen (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hebrew: ייאש (yi'ésh)
• Ido: desesperigar (io)
• Portuguese: desesperar (pt)

to be hopeless

• Arabic: يَئِسَ (yaʔisa)
• Armenian: հուսահատվել (hy) (husahatvel)
• Bulgarian: губя надежда (gubja nadežda)
• Czech: zoufat
• Dutch: wanhopen (nl)
• Esperanto: malesperi (eo)
• Finnish: menettää toivonsa (fi), luopua toivosta (fi)
• French: désespérer (fr)
• German: verzweifeln (de), die Hoffnung aufgeben
• Greek: απελπίζομαι (el) (apelpízomai)

  Ancient: ἀπελπίζω (apelpízō)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: örvænta (is)
• Macedonian: очајува (očajuva)
• Maori: takarure
• Ngazidja Comorian: utsindza twamaa
• Norwegian: fortvile
• Polish: rozpaczać (pl)
• Portuguese: desesperar-se (pt)
• Romanian: despera (ro)
• Spanish: desesperanzar (es) (pronominal), desesperar (es) (intransitive, pronominal)
• Swahili: kukata tamaa
• Swedish: förtvivla (sv)
• Tagalog: desperado

Noun

despair (countable and uncountable, plural despairs)

1. Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.

   He turned around in despair, aware that he was not going to survive

2. That which causes despair.
3. That which is despaired of. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Synonyms

• desperation
• despondency
• hopelessness

Antonyms

• hope

Translations

loss of hope

• Arabic: يَأْس (ar) (yaʔs)
• Bulgarian: отчаяние (bg) n (otčajanie)
• Catalan: desesperació
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 絕望／绝望 (zh) (juéwàng)

• Czech: zoufalství n
• Danish: opgivelse
• Dutch: wanhoop (nl) c
• Esperanto: malespero (eo)
• Finnish: epätoivo (fi)
• French: désespoir (fr) m
• Georgian: უიმედობა (uimedoba), სასოწარკვეთილება (sasoc̣arḳvetileba)
• German: Verzweiflung (de) f
• Greek: απελπισία (el) f (apelpisía)
• Hebrew: ייאוש (he) m (ye'ush)
• Hungarian: kétségbeesés (hu)
• Ido: desespero (io)
• Indonesian: putus asa (id)
• Irish: éadóchas
• Italian: disperazione (it) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 絶望 (ja) (ぜつぼう, zetsubō), 失望 (ja) (しつぼう, shitsubō)
• Korean: 절망 (ko) (jeolmang) (絶望 (ko))
• Latin: despero (la)
• Lithuanian: neviltis f
• Macedonian: очај m (očaj)
• Maori: rāwakiwaki, takaruretanga
• Norwegian: frustrasjon (no) m
• Persian: نومیدی (fa) (novmidi)
• Polish: rozpacz (pl) f, beznadzieja (pl) f
• Portuguese: desespero (pt) m
• Romanian: desperare (ro) f
• Russian: отча́яние (ru) n (otčájanije), тлен (ru) m (tlen) (poetic), мрак (ru) m (mrak) (poetic)
• Serbo-Croatian: beznađe (sh) n
• Spanish: desesperación (es) f, desesperanza (es) f
• Swedish: desperation (sv) c
• Telugu: నిరాశ (te) (nirāśa)
• Turkish: umutsuzluk (tr)
• West Frisian: wanhope n

Anagrams

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