- the feeling of having lost all hope
- She uttered a cry of despair.
- A deep sense of despair overwhelmed him.
- in despair He gave up the struggle in despair.
- One harsh word would send her into the depths of despair.
- Eventually, driven to despair, he threw himself under a train.
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsc1- He fell into despair over his failure as a husband.
- I felt despair at being deceived.
- She was overcome with a feeling of utter despair.
- Robert shook his head in despair.
- She let out a cry of despair.
- The novel tells the story of a teenager driven to despair by the hypocrisy of the adult world.
- When he became ill he sank to the depths of despair.
- his despair over the loss of his wife
- She was close to despair.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- black
- deep
- complete
- …
- feel
- fall into
- drive somebody to
- …
- in despair
- of despair
- with despair
- …
- the depths of despair
- in a moment of despair
- a feeling of despair
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: the noun via Anglo-Norman French from Old French desespeir; the verb from Old French desperer, from Latin desperare, from de- ‘down from’ + sperare ‘to hope’.Definitions on the go
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Idioms
See despair in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarybe the despair of somebody
- to make somebody worried or unhappy, because they cannot help
- My handwriting was the despair of my teachers.
a counsel of despair
- (formal) advice not to try to do something because it is too difficultTopics Suggestions and advicec2
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despair