as in grieved
to lose all hope or confidence
we despaired when we saw how little time we had left to complete our project
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Recent Examples of despaired
In her interview, Guthrie also despaired over the possibility that her fame could have made her mother a target for kidnappers, Page Six also reported.
—
Martha Ross, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
The Herald’s competitors despaired of ever competing with that paper’s speedy acquisition of news, and one, the Journal of Commerce, eventually gave up and created a cooperative agreement with the Herald that would become instrumental in the creation of the Associated Press.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
Democrats rejoiced; Republicans despaired.
—Kevin Igoe, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2026
The news of her 23-year-old son’s execution shocked and despaired the world.
—Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Anyone who ever despaired about their outstanding mortgage remaining virtually static despite months of repayments will relate.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Martha Ross, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
The Herald’s competitors despaired of ever competing with that paper’s speedy acquisition of news, and one, the Journal of Commerce, eventually gave up and created a cooperative agreement with the Herald that would become instrumental in the creation of the Associated Press.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
Democrats rejoiced; Republicans despaired.
—Kevin Igoe, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2026
The news of her 23-year-old son’s execution shocked and despaired the world.
—Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Anyone who ever despaired about their outstanding mortgage remaining virtually static despite months of repayments will relate.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despaired
Verb
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Schools brought in counselors for the victims’ young classmates and neighbors grieved at a growing memorial.—
Sophie Bates,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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The saga unfolded as Carla and Carlotta grieved an unrelated loss.—
Jennifer Cannon,
Vanity Fair,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The 23-year-old suffered the injury during the second half of our Premier League fixture at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.—
Dan Kilpatrick,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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After the game, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan told reporters that Lundkvist suffered a deep facial laceration, and will be evaluated when the team returns to Texas.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fans in the comment section, which had over 150 comments, mourned the loss of the two restaurants.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
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Music and cultural figures like director Jim Jarmusch, Kid Congo Powers, and Cold Cave’s Wesley Eisold mourned Foreman’s death on social media.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despaired.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despaired. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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