English dictionary

despairing Meaning & Definition

di-ˈsper-iŋ

What Does Despairing Mean?

As an adjective, despairing means given to, arising from, or marked by despair. As a verb, it means to lose all hope or confidence.

Despairing: Key Facts

Part of speech	adjective, verb
Pronunciation	/di-ˈsper-iŋ/
Syllables	3
Synonyms	desperate, hopeless and bearish
Antonyms	hopeful, optimistic and Panglossian
Adverb	despairingly

Despairing Definition (Adjective)

given to, arising from, or marked by despair : devoid of hope
a despairing sigh

Despairing as a Verb

to lose all hope or confidence
It'll turn out all right. Don't despair. / We began to despair of ever winning.
to lose hope for

Synonyms of Despairing

desperate hopeless bearish defeatist downbeat pessimistic despondent forlorn desponding despond

Despairing synonyms and antonyms →

Despairing in a Sentence

a despairing sigh

It'll turn out all right. Don't despair.

We began to despair of ever winning.

despairing predictions regarding the effects of global overpopulation

despairing applicants need to be reminded that most students are eventually accepted somewhere

we despaired when we saw how little time we had left to complete our project

It'll turn out all right. Don't despair. / We began to despair of ever winning.

Word Forms & Grammar

de·spair·ing·ly adverb

despairing

despairingly

de·spaired

de·spair·ing

de·spairs

de·spair·er noun

despair

despaired

despairer

despairers

despairs

despairing (not comparable)

despairing (plural despairings)

Words That Rhyme With Despairing

Origin of Despairing

Origin 1: from present participle of despair:2

Origin 2: Middle English despeiren, despairen, dispairen "to lose hope or confidence, be discouraged," borrowed from Anglo-French despeir-, tonic stem of desperer, going back to Latin dēspērāre "to give up as hopeless, despair of," from dē- de- + spērāre "to look forward to, hope for, hope (that)," verbal derivative of *spēs-, presumed alternate stem of spēs, spem hope, expectation, perhaps by analogy with vīr-, vīs strength, force speed:1

Origin 3: From Middle English despeyringe, equivalent to despair +‎ -ing.

First Known Use

1589

14th centuryi

Despairing Pronunciation

The standard pronunciation of despairing is /di-ˈsper-iŋ/, spoken in 3 syllables, with the main stress on the second syllable (sper).

Questions People Ask About Despairing

Is despairing an adjective or a verb?

Despairing is mainly used as an adjective, but it can also be used as a verb.

What is another word for despairing?

Close synonyms of despairing are desperate, hopeless and bearish. See the full list of despairing synonyms and antonyms.

What is the opposite of despairing?

The opposite of despairing can be expressed with words like hopeful, optimistic, Panglossian and Pollyanna.