despondency
/dɪˈspɒndənsi/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈspɑːndənsi/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈspän-dən-sē/ (ame, mw)
despondency — noun
1. a heavy, lasting feeling of sadness in which a person believes nothing will get
a heavy, lasting feeling of sadness in which a person believes nothing will get better and loses the energy to try.
After her third job rejection, Tariro sank into a quiet despondency that lasted for weeks.
collocation: sink into despondency
A deep sense of despondency settled over the village when the harvest failed for the second year.
collocation: a sense of despondency
Ilan tried to lift Renata out of her despondency by taking her to the seaside for the weekend.
The long winter and the empty streets filled the old painter with despondency.
There was an air of despondency in the office after the company announced more job cuts.
- dejection
very close synonym; slightly less heavy and less formal.
- hopelessness
focuses on the missing hope itself, not the sadness it causes.
- gloom
broader and often shared by a group or place; less personal.
- melancholy
literary; a quieter, more reflective sadness without the 'no way out' edge.
- hope
the missing element that defines despondency.
- optimism
the settled outlook opposite to despondency.
- cheerfulness
the surface mood opposite to despondency.
文法句型
fall into despondency
a sense of despondency
用法筆記
Uncountable in most uses; takes 'a' only with a modifier ('a quiet despondency', 'a deep despondency'). Stronger and more formal than 'sadness' — implies loss of hope, not just low mood.