slough of despond
Noun: A state of extreme depression, hopelessness, or dejection. The term originates from John Bunyan's allegory The Pilgrim's Progress (1678), where the "Slough of Despond" is a deep, boggy swamp of despair that the protagonist must struggle through, representing a spiritual crisis or profound melancholy.
This term is used to describe a severe and paralyzing state of sadness or discouragement. It is a literary and somewhat formal expression, often implying a period of difficulty that feels inescapable and overwhelming.
Examples: * After losing his job and his home, he fell into a slough of despond from which he thought he'd never escape. * The team's losing streak plunged the players into a collective slough of despond. * She described her grief not as simple sadness, but as a profound slough of despond.
- Prepositional Use: The phrase is often preceded by "a" or "the" and followed by "of." It can be used with verbs like , , , or .
- The character spends several chapters in the slough of despond before finding hope.
- Despond (verb/archaic noun): To become dejected, lose heart. (e.g., )
- Despondency (noun): A state of low spirits caused by loss of hope or courage. This is a more common, modern synonym for the feeling described by "slough of despond."
- Slough (noun): A state of moral degradation or spiritual dejection; also literally, a swamp or bog. (e.g., ).
- Abyss of despair
- Depths of depression
- Morass of melancholy
- Dejection
- Hopelessness
- To be in the depths of despair: A similar idiom expressing profound unhappiness.
- A dark night of the soul: A phrase describing a period of intense spiritual crisis and loneliness, closely related in meaning but with a more specific spiritual connotation.
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(formal) extreme depression
