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despairing

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verb

present participle of despair

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective despairing differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of despairing are desperate, despondent, and hopeless. While all these words mean "having lost all or nearly all hope," despairing suggests the slipping away of all hope and often despondency.

despairing appeals for the return of the kidnapped child

When is it sensible to use desperate instead of despairing?

While the synonyms desperate and despairing are close in meaning, desperate implies despair that prompts reckless action or violence in the face of defeat or frustration.

one last desperate attempt to turn the tide of battle

When might despondent be a better fit than despairing?

While in some cases nearly identical to despairing, despondent implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort.

despondent about yet another rejection

Where would hopeless be a reasonable alternative to despairing?

The synonyms hopeless and despairing are sometimes interchangeable, but hopeless suggests despair and the cessation of effort or resistance and often implies acceptance or resignation.

the situation of the trapped miners is hopeless

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of despairing
Adjective
On the Calculation of Volume is a book of hours in its most literal sense, a diary in which Tara tallies each of her November 18ths and her attempts, both hopeful and despairing, to break free from the cycle she is trapped within. Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2024 In one number, Swinton, who goes glossy-eyed to show the cracks in her high-fashion veneer, poses in a transparent rain slicker while bleating raw, yowling noises that blend with the despairing strings. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
These are the people who, despairing of finding their way out honestly, simply smash and bash their way through the corn willy-nilly. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024 Meme-makers across America are despairing right now. Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for despairing 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despairing
Adjective
  • The battle between parents and tech-savvy children over access to the Internet and apps might seem hopeless.
    Daniel de Visé, USA TODAY, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Burns is asked how to avoid feeling hopeless during a stretch like this.
    Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Shelley Sykes, a TV production entrepreneur, told Australian media of a desperate battle to save her 32-year-old son Rory Sykes, who had cerebral palsy.
    Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Even the young people hustling door-to-door in the Sunshine State, shilling solar panels in a desperate bid to become millionaires by 30, are, well, men.
    Katie Drummond, WIRED, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Ward, 28, missed four games while grieving her death.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024
  • The Christmas Eve shooting also devastated the still-grieving Oxford community, where a teenage gunman went on a rampage at Oxford High School in November 2021, killing four classmates and seven others, including a teacher.
    Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Coming-of-age teen comedies were never quite as wonderfully cynical before this movie about four teenage girls whose lives are upended by the arrival of a new kid, played by Christian Slater.
    Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Without any real prospect of serious concessions from Western states, the Taliban became cynical about ever gaining legitimacy on the world stage.
    Delaney Simon, Foreign Affairs, 2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Ratings declined, Lynch was unhappy, and the show was canceled.
    Victoria Edel, People.com, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Saquon Barkley is an unstoppable force, the defense is resurgent under Vic Fangio, the chatter about an unhappy A.J. Brown has mostly died down.
    Dianna Russini, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Under the hood, your body is often suffering from dehydration and inflammation.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Anyway, Asma is now suffering terribly, according to reports.
    Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • But nothing in life is sadder than a reality television person who doesn't know when to retire.
    Dana Rose Falcone, People.com, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Air France regrets this sad event and expresses its sincere condolences.
    Michael D. Carroll AND Theo Burman, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Many people responded not by mourning Thompson, but by blaming UnitedHealthcare and other insurers for failing to pay for essential medical treatments.
    Jay Feinman, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Despite Edward’s mother still in mourning after the death of her husband Prince Albert, the young couple ushered in contemporary art, opulent balls and society events, which King George V and Queen Mary took charge of successfully.
    Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 6 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near despairing

Cite this Entry

“Despairing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despairing. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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