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Added 4 October 2026

despair

/dɪˈspɛə(ɹ)/ verb

In Latin: dēspērō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about despair at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.
To cause to despair.
To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation. .mw-parser-output .object-usage-tag{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output .deprecated{color:var(--wikt-palette-grey-lime-8,olivedrab)}[ with of]

noun

Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.
He turned around in despair, aware that he was not going to survive.
That which causes despair.
That which is despaired of. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Origin

From Middle English dispeir, from Anglo-Norman despeir and Old French desperer (from Latin dēspērō, dēspērāre), or desesperer, from des- (“dis-”) + esperer (“hope”). See also desperate. Displaced native Old English ormōdnes (“despair”) and Old English ortrīewan (“to despair”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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