despairing

[dih-spair-ing]

adjective

1. given to despair or hopelessness.

   Antonyms: hopeful

2. indicating despair.

   a despairing look.

despairing

/ dɪˈspɛərɪŋ /

adjective

1. marked by or resulting from despair; hopeless or desperate

Other Word Forms

• despairingly adverb
• undespairing adjective
• undespairingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of despairing¹

First recorded in 1585–95; despair + -ing ²

Synonym Study

See hopeless.

Example Sentences

Most of your singing is the “Nebraska” songs, these delicate acoustic songs about despairing characters who have lost hope.

From Los Angeles Times

One particularly despairing prankster appealing for penalty-taking to be made part of the English National Curriculum in place of maths lessons, after England were defeated at a major tournament.

From BBC

Palestinians in Gaza would be "totally despairing, understanding that there is no hope and nothing to look for in Gaza, and will be looking for relocation to begin a new life in other places".

From BBC

People are despairing over the Supreme Court and its deference to the president.

From Los Angeles Times

Reactions within the music world were swift and despairing.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• grief-stricken 
• melancholic 
• melancholy 
• pessimistic 
• suicidal 

When To Use

What does despairing mean?

Despairing is an adjective that describes people who are experiencing despair—complete hopelessness.The word despair is also commonly used as a verb meaning to lose all hope, and despairing comes from the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb.A despairing person is usually someone who is deeply sad about something that has happened or that hasn’t happened—something usually triggers the despair. This is especially the case in serious and very negative situations that involve finality, such as death or a devastating loss in a political election.It often implies that one is giving up—that they believe there is nothing more to be done to make things better.Despairing can also be used to describe things that involve or show despair, as in a despairing look. Example: The despairing players stared in disbelief at the scoreboard, which showed an insurmountable lead with only minutes left.