despond 1 of 2

noun

Definition of despondnext
1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits he sank into a crushing despond after his wife left him

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in despair
utter loss of hope loss of his job threw him into a deep despond

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despond

2 of 2

verb

di-ˈspänd How to pronounce despond (audio)
as in to despair
to lose all hope or confidence we must not despond even though we live in trying times

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of despond
Noun
Lonely and addicted to her social media feeds, Selena plunged into a deep despond and filmed her death-by-overdose on Snap. — Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2024 The slough of Mardenborough's despond comes towards the end of the film when a crash at the Nürburgring results in the death of a spectator. — Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 11 Aug. 2023 Animal spirits might buoy up markets again, or investors might sink back into the sort of despond that ended 2015, but sentiment currently offers little guide. — James MacKintosh, WSJ, 20 Dec. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despond
  1. sadness
  2. despair
  3. depression
  4. desperation
  5. melancholy
  6. sorrow
  7. gloom
  8. mournfulness
Noun
  • Beat shows how so many of the sounds that were prevalent in the mid-’90s contained a unique, end-of-the century sadness.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
  • People can experience grief, sadness, relief, conflict or combinations of these emotions after any pregnancy outcome.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • The tone creeps into despair as the scales fall from Sutskever’s eyes.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The cumulative effect of the bowl’s ambient violence (robbery, assault, and overdose abound) amounts to an open-air despair not unlike Fox News-style depictions of California as a wholesale war zone.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of despair
Noun
  • The initiative’s goal is by 2030 to have empowered 3 million people to recognize the early signs of anxiety and depression, and take steps toward helping those.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • In addition to fentanyl, toxicology tests detected alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax; the muscle relaxant methocarbamol; and quetiapine, a medication primarily used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and, in some cases, depression.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of depression
Noun
  • Without the timeout, where New York could have advanced the ball to midcourt, Stewart missed a desperation shot at the buzzer.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Yet seemingly out of desperation, the nominees also have included total head-scratchers like Coldplay, Florence + the Machine, Matchbox Twenty, the Eagles — the fuckin’ Eagles, man!
    — Jem Aswad, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of desperation
Noun
  • The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • On the one hand, there’s a fascination with collective joy and the forms of vernacular invention that aspire to it; on the other, there’s an underlying melancholy that points to the inevitability of isolation, an epistemology of loneliness.
    — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of melancholy
Noun
  • Because so many of Gunn’s friends died in San Francisco, a city where Gunn had found happiness and freedom, then these elegies are also a monument to a time of communal sorrow and mourning.
    — Colm Tóibín, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Another decision that those who are rejected face, at least if anger is mixed in with sorrow, is where to direct that anger.
    — George Loewenstein, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of sorrow
Noun
  • On Monday morning, however, a visible veil of grief and gloom took over the previous sheen.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • And neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night can save you now….
    — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of gloom
Noun
  • Power Ballad should be breezy and fun, with that twist of mournfulness that Carney is always so adept at pulling off.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 May 2026
Definition of mournfulness

Phrases Containing despond

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despoliations
despond
desponded
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Cite this Entry

“Despond.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despond. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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