DESPAIRED Synonyms: 27 Similar and Opposite Words

despaired

verb

past tense of despair

as in grieved

to lose all hope or confidence we despaired when we saw how little time we had left to complete our project

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of despaired The news of her 23-year-old son’s execution shocked and despaired the world. — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025 In 2014, the party despaired at the success of the Koch donor network — decades of right-wing philanthropy that paid off in the tea party movement. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 June 2026 Benjamin killed himself at the French-Spanish border in 1940, having despaired of his chances of escaping the Nazis. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 Anyone who ever despaired about their outstanding mortgage remaining virtually static despite months of repayments will relate. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025 In her interview, Guthrie also despaired over the possibility that her fame could have made her mother a target for kidnappers, Page Six also reported. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026 Democrats rejoiced; Republicans despaired. — Kevin Igoe, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2026 The Herald’s competitors despaired of ever competing with that paper’s speedy acquisition of news, and one, the Journal of Commerce, eventually gave up and created a cooperative agreement with the Herald that would become instrumental in the creation of the Associated Press. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for despaired

Verb

While the family grieved, the Willard Police Department got to work.

— Dateline NBC, NBC news, 24 June 2026
The other thing most people miss is the sheer scale of what’s actually being grieved.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 28 May 2026

Definition of grieved

Verb

Outflanked by cruel and fickle gods at every turn, legendary Greek hero Odysseus outsmarted a one-eyed giant, suffered through the bewitching Sirens’ song and braved the Underworld’s dead denizens.

— Alex Pulaski, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
The year before, a Finnish scholar had suffered frostbite in her bedroom.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026

Definition of suffered

Verb

Readers mourned Bill Spoon’s BBQ, which fed generations before shutting during the pandemic in 2020, and Bubba’s Barbecue on Sunset Road, which closed in January 2026 after 40 years of Eastern North Carolina-style ‘cue.

— Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 6 July 2026
Nearby, Muhammad Farooq mourned the loss of his young daughter.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026

Definition of mourned

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despair

despaired

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“Despaired.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despaired. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of despaired

verb

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