despair

/dis'peə/

Thân thiện

A child sits alone in a dark room, overcome with despair.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A state of complete loss of hope: "Despair" refers to the feeling that a situation is so bad that nothing can improve it.
   • An intense feeling of sadness and hopelessness: It is the emotional state of having no expectation of a positive outcome.

2. Verb:

   • To lose or abandon all hope: To "despair" means to stop believing that something good will happen or that a situation will improve.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • She felt a deep sense of despair after hearing the news.
  • The refugees' faces were etched with despair.
  • He gave up in despair, convinced he would never find a solution.

• Verb:

  • Do not despair; things will get better.
  • They began to despair of ever seeing their homeland again.
  • The doctor told us not to despair, as new treatments were available.

Advanced Usage

• "To be in despair": To be in a state of complete hopelessness.

  • After the accident, he was in utter despair.

• "To drive someone to despair": To cause someone to lose all hope.

  • The constant failures drove the inventor to despair.

• "To despair of (something/someone)": To lose hope concerning a particular thing or person.

  • I despair of this government ever solving the problem.
  • She had begun to despair of her son's reckless behavior.

Variants and Related Words

• Despairing (adjective): Showing or feeling a complete loss of hope.

  • He gave a despairing sigh.

• Desperation (noun): A state of despair, typically leading to reckless or extreme behavior.

  • In desperation, he sold his car to pay the bills.

Synonyms

• Hopelessness: The feeling or state of having no hope.
• Despondency: A state of low spirits caused by loss of hope or courage.
• Dejection: Sadness or depression.

Antonyms

• Hope: A feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen.
• Optimism: Hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• The depths of despair: A state of extreme hopelessness.

  • She was in the depths of despair after her business failed.

• A counsel of despair: Advice or an action that is given or taken because all hope is lost, often seen as defeatist.

  • Giving up now would be a counsel of despair.

Học thuật

Noun

1. 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
2. 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

Verb

1. abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart
   • Don't despair--help is on the way!

Từ đồng nghĩa

• desperation