Home › Philosophy › Nihilism & Pessimism › despair

despair

dih-SPAIR /dɪˈspɛər/

nounverbB2SATIELTSTOEFL

generalliterary

The complete loss or absence of hope.

Represents an intense, overwhelming emotional state of hopelessness rather than a detached philosophical theory.

The story behind the word. Despair passed through Old French 'desperer' from the Latin 'desperare', combining 'de-' (without) and 'spes' (hope). To despair is to exist completely stripped of expectation for a positive outcome.

Word relationships

hopelessness: Hopelessness describes the state of lacking hope, while despair carries stronger emotional anguish and visceral pain.
desolation: Desolation includes feeling completely alone and abandoned alongside grief.

hope: Hope is the expectation of positive outcomes, the direct opposite of despair.
optimism: Optimism is a hopeful confidence about the future.

Commonly confused with

pessimism: Pessimism is an outlook expecting bad outcomes, while despair is the active emotional agony of having lost all hope.

Word family

despairing (adjective): Showing or feeling loss of hope.
desperately (adverb): In a manner that shows despair or extreme urgency.

Collocations

depths of despair
plunge into despair
drive to despair
utter despair

Idioms & expressions

at the end of one's rope

Example sentences

"Søren Kierkegaard wrote extensively about despair, describing it as the sickness unto death of the human spirit." Philosophical Ethics
"Surviving the harsh winter without supplies plunged the stranded settlers into deep despair." Historical Account

Memory hook

DE-SPAIR = DE- (without) + SPES (hope) -> Without a single pair of hopes left. De-spes = Dis-hope.

When not to use

Do not use for mild disappointment; despair indicates an absolute rock-bottom absence of hope.

Fun facts

In Dante's 'Inferno', the inscription over the gates of Hell famously reads: 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here' — defining Hell as absolute despair.