Despondent | Definition of despondent by Merriam-Webster

Full Definition of DESPONDENT

: feeling or showing extreme discouragement, dejection, or depression <despondent about his health>

— de·spon·dent·ly adverb

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Examples of DESPONDENT

Writers who spend much time in universities are likely to grow despondent over the future of literature, for there it is treated as a finished thing. —Louis Simpson, New York Times Book Review, 21 Nov. l982
His colleagues did not care for his despondent company, which made him suffer more, which perpetuated their distance … —Noah Charney, The Art Thief, 2007
The Simpsons' plots are a bit more sophisticated than their Saturday morning counterparts and are occasionally tinged with pathos—as when Homer loses his job at the nuclear-power plant and becomes despondent and even suicidal. —Jerry Lazar, TV Guide, 13 Jan. 1990
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Origin of DESPONDENT

Latin despondent-, despondens, present participle of despondēre

First Known Use: circa 1699

Related to DESPONDENT

Synonyms: despairing, desperate, forlorn, hopeless

Antonyms: hopeful, optimistic

Synonym Discussion of DESPONDENT

despondent, despairing, desperate, hopeless mean having lost all or nearly all hope. despondent implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort <despondent about yet another rejection>. despairing suggests the slipping away of all hope and often despondency <despairing appeals for the return of the kidnapped child>. desperate implies despair that prompts reckless action or violence in the face of defeat or frustration <one last desperate attempt to turn the tide of battle>. hopeless suggests despair and the cessation of effort or resistance and often implies acceptance or resignation <the situation of the trapped miners is hopeless>.