despondent
dih-SPON-duhnt
/dɪˈspɒn.dənt/
Feeling or showing extreme dejection, low spirits, or total loss of hope.
Implies a complete loss of courage and heart, often accompanied by lethargy or passivity.
The story behind the word. In ancient Rome, the verb spondere meant to formally promise or pledge. When prefixed with de- (away or down), despondere literally meant to give up one's pledge or surrender hope. By the seventeenth century, English borrowed the word to describe someone whose spirit had surrendered to grief.
Word relationships
- dejected: Dejected emphasizes being cast down spirit-wise, while despondent implies losing hope entirely.
- downcast: Downcast focuses on a visible look of sadness, whereas despondent emphasizes internal loss of hope.
- buoyant: Buoyant describes an upbeat spirit that bounces back easily.
- elated: Elated describes intense happiness and celebration.
Commonly confused with
- morose: Morose stresses sullenness and ill humor, while despondent stresses hopelessness.
Word family
- despondency (noun): A state of low spirits caused by loss of hope.
- despondently (adverb): In a manner expressing total hopelessness.
Collocations
- despondent tone
- grow despondent
- deeply despondent
- despondent mood
Idioms & expressions
- down in the dumps
- at low ebb
Example sentences
- "After repeated rejections from publishers, the author grew increasingly despondent about her literary career." Literary analysis
- "He was so despondent that he could neither eat nor sleep, abandoned entirely to his dark thoughts." Classic fiction
Memory hook
Think of someone respond-ing with zero hope: de-SPOND-ent. When your spirit gives up its pledge.
When not to use
Do not use for temporary annoyance or mild sadness; it denotes a profound loss of spirit.
Fun facts
- In John Bunyan's 1678 allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, characters must cross the Slough of Despond, a deep bog representing overwhelming despair.
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