Synonyms of hopelessness

hopelessness

noun

as in desperation

utter loss of hope

the fans' hopelessness was dispelled as their team mounted a comeback

Synonyms & Similar Words

• desperation
• despair
• sadness
• sorrow
• depression
• melancholy
• despondency
• despondence
• forlornness
• misery
• oppression
• agony
• slough of despond
• pain
• unhappiness
• sorrowfulness
• resignation
• despond
• gloom
• dejection
• distress
• gloominess
• joylessness
• mournfulness
• acceptance
• dreariness
• self-pity
• blues
• pessimism
• dumps
• cynicism
• desolation
• blue devils
• wretchedness
• dolor
• downheartedness
• self-despair
• mopes
• doldrums
• woe
• disconsolateness
• dispiritedness
• woefulness
• dolefulness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hopefulness
• hope
• optimism
• cheerfulness
• cheer
• joy
• glee
• mirth
• happiness
• sunniness
• elation
• gaiety
• merriment
• euphoria
• ecstasy
• lightheartedness
• joviality
• exultation
• jollity
• exuberance
• exhilaration
• jubilation
• bliss
• rapture
• joyousness
• joyfulness
• gladness
• gleefulness
• mirthfulness
• blissfulness
• elatedness
• rapturousness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hopelessness

According to 2025 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of youth have persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness — about 10% more than a decade earlier. — Darius Tahir, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

Corruption across the political divide Much of this year’s fatigue traces back to a sense of hopelessness over systemic corruption, which ranks among voters’ biggest concerns, yet neither camp can claim the issue as its own, say experts. — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026

He was filled with a sudden sense of hopelessness, a rotten sadness. — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026

Women are more likely than men to report severe depression and hopelessness following breakups, but men are three to four times more likely to commit suicide. — George Loewenstein, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026

This year's report finds that levels of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness among high schoolers have fallen in recent years – from 42% in 2021, to 40% in 2023 and 33% in 2025. — Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 23 Sep. 2026

Understanding the scope of human suffering and hopelessness in our world stirs a strong internal conflict between empathy and pragmatism. — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 23 Sep. 2026

In the context of suicide, hopelessness can look like acceptance at the end. — Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2026

These proposals, many times rooted in sympathy and love, were presented as alternatives to the political structures and market logic that had so often led to war, exploitation, hopelessness, and suffering. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026