Synonyms of despair
6 similar words · 2 opposite words
Another word for despair is desperation. Other synonyms of despair are hopelessness, despondency and unhope.
Synonyms and similar words for despair
nounLoss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.
- desperationA state of despair, or utter hopelessness; abandonment of hope.
- despondencyThe loss of hope or confidence; despair or dejection.
- hopelessnessThe state of having no hope, being unhopeful.
- unhopeAbsence or lack of hope; hopelessness; despair.
- despond archaicDespondency.
- wanhope UK, archaicLack of hope; hopelessness; despair.
Opposite of despair
Meaning of despair
- verb To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.
- verb To cause to despair.
- verb To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation.
despair in other languages
Questions about synonyms of despair
- What is another word for despair?
- Despair has 6 synonyms on Word.ws, such as desperation, hopelessness, despondency and unhope.
- What is the opposite of despair?
- The opposite of despair is hope. Other antonyms of despair are respair.
- What does despair mean?
- Despair means to give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: despair (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of despair.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/despair. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.