noun · verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/dɪˈspɛə(ɹ)/
Canada, General-American:/dɪˈspɛɚ/
California:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian:/dɪˈspeː(ɹ)/
rhymes with -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: (weak vowel merger) dispair
CMU ARPABET:D IH0 S P EH1 R
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
He turned around in despair, aware that he was not going to survive.
From Middle English dispeir, from Anglo-Norman despeir and Old French desperer (from Latin dēspērō, dēspērāre), or desesperer, from des- (“dis-”) + esperer (“hope”). See also desperate. Displaced native Old English ormōdnes (“despair”) and Old English ortrīewan (“to despair”).
Across languages
Translations
189 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
dëshpërim
— loss of hope
Arabic:
يَأْس
(yaʔs)
— loss of hope
Aragonese:
desaspero
— loss of hope
Armenian:
հուսահատություն
(husahatutʻyun)
— loss of hope
Armenian:
վհատություն
(vhatutʻyun)
— loss of hope
Armenian:
հուսալքություն
(husalkʻutʻyun)
— loss of hope
Azerbaijani:
ümidsizlik
— loss of hope
Azerbaijani:
naümidlik
— loss of hope
Basque:
etsipen
— loss of hope
Belarusian:
ро́спач
(róspač)
— loss of hope
Belarusian:
безнадзе́йнасць
(bjeznadzjéjnascʹ)
— loss of hope
Belarusian:
безнадзе́йнасьць
(bjeznadzjéjnasʹcʹ)
— loss of hope
Bengali:
নিরাশা
(niraśa)
— loss of hope
Bulgarian:
отча́яние
(otčájanie)
— loss of hope
Bulgarian:
безнаде́ждност
(beznadéždnost)
— loss of hope
Catalan:
desesperació
— loss of hope
Chinese Cantonese:
絕望 /绝望
(zyut6 mong6)
— loss of hope
Chinese Mandarin:
絕望 /绝望
(juéwàng)
— loss of hope
Czech:
zoufalství
— loss of hope
Czech:
beznadějnost
— loss of hope
Czech:
beznaděj
— loss of hope
Danish:
opgivelse
— loss of hope
Danish:
håbløshed
— loss of hope
Dutch:
wanhoop
— loss of hope
Esperanto:
malespero
— loss of hope
Estonian:
meeleheide
— loss of hope
Estonian:
ahastus
— loss of hope
Finnish:
epätoivo
— loss of hope
French:
désespoir
— loss of hope
West-Frisian:
wanhope
— loss of hope
Georgian:
უიმედობა
(uimedoba)
— loss of hope
Georgian:
სასოწარკვეთილება
(sasoc̣arḳvetileba)
— loss of hope
German:
Verzweiflung
— loss of hope
German:
Hoffnungslosigkeit
— loss of hope
Greek:
απελπισία
(apelpisía)
— loss of hope
Ancient Greek:
δυσθυμία
(dusthumía)
— loss of hope
Hebrew:
יֵאוּשׁ \ ייאוש
(ye'ush)
— loss of hope
Hindi:
निराशा
(nirāśā)
— loss of hope
Hindi:
मायूसी
(māyūsī)
— loss of hope
Hungarian:
kétségbeesés
— loss of hope
Hungarian:
csüggedés
— loss of hope
Icelandic:
örvilnun
— loss of hope
Icelandic:
örvænting
— loss of hope
Icelandic:
örvinglun
— loss of hope
Ido:
desespero
— loss of hope
Indonesian:
putus asa
— loss of hope
Irish:
éadóchas
— loss of hope
Italian:
disperazione
— loss of hope
Japanese:
絶望
(zetsubō)
— loss of hope
Japanese:
失望
(shitsubō)
— loss of hope
Kazakh:
үмітсіздік
(ümıtsızdık)
— loss of hope
Kazakh:
түңілушілік
(tüñıluşılık)
— loss of hope
Kazakh:
торығушылық
(toryğuşylyq)
— loss of hope
Korean:
절망
(jeolmang)
— loss of hope
Northern Kurdish:
bêhêvîtî
— loss of hope
Kyrgyz:
үмүтсүздүк
(ümütsüzdük)
— loss of hope
Latin:
desperatio
— loss of hope
Latvian:
bezcerība
— loss of hope
Latvian:
izmisums
— loss of hope
Lithuanian:
neviltis
— loss of hope
Lithuanian:
beviltiškumas
— loss of hope
Macedonian:
очај
(očaj)
— loss of hope
Macedonian:
безнадежност
(beznadežnost)
— loss of hope
Māori:
rāwakiwaki
— loss of hope
Māori:
takaruretanga
— loss of hope
Mongolian:
цөхрөл
(cöxröl)
— loss of hope
Norwegian Bokmål:
fortvilelse
— loss of hope
Norwegian Bokmål:
håpløshet
— loss of hope
Norwegian Bokmål:
desperasjon
— loss of hope
Old English:
ormōdnes
— loss of hope
Iranian Persian:
نُوْمیدی
(nowmidi)
— loss of hope
Iranian Persian:
نااُمیدی
(nâomidi)
— loss of hope
Iranian Persian:
نااُمّیدی
(nâommidi)
— loss of hope
Iranian Persian:
یَأْس
(ya's)
— loss of hope
Iranian Persian:
یاس
(yâs)
— loss of hope
Iranian Persian:
مایوسی
(mâyusi)
— loss of hope
Polish:
rozpacz
— loss of hope
Polish:
beznadzieja
— loss of hope
Polish:
beznadziejność
— loss of hope
Portuguese:
desespero
— loss of hope
Romanian:
desperare
— loss of hope
Russian:
отча́яние
(otčájanije)
— loss of hope
Russian:
безнадёжность
(beznadjóžnostʹ)
— loss of hope
Russian:
тлен
(tlen)
— loss of hope
Serbo-Croatian:
бѐзна̄ђе
— loss of hope
Serbo-Croatian:
очаја́ње
— loss of hope
Serbo-Croatian:
bèznāđe
— loss of hope
Serbo-Croatian:
očajánje
— loss of hope
Slovak:
zúfalstvo
— loss of hope
Slovak:
beznádej
— loss of hope
Slovak:
beznádejnosť
— loss of hope
Slovene:
obup
— loss of hope
Slovene:
brezupnost
— loss of hope
Spanish:
desespero
— loss of hope
Swedish:
desperation
— loss of hope
Swedish:
förtvivlan
— loss of hope
Swedish:
hopplöshet
— loss of hope
Tagalog:
kawalang-pag-asa
— loss of hope
Tajik:
ноумедӣ
(noumedi)
— loss of hope
Tajik:
яъс
(ya's)
— loss of hope
Tajik:
маъюсӣ
(ma'yusi)
— loss of hope
Tatar:
өметсезлек
(ömetsezlek)
— loss of hope
Telugu:
నిరాశ
(nirāśa)
— loss of hope
Thai:
ความสิ้นหวัง
— loss of hope
Thai:
สิ้นหวัง
(sîn-wǎng)
— loss of hope
Tocharian B:
silñe
— loss of hope
Turkish:
umutsuzluk
— loss of hope
Turkmen:
umytsyzlyk
— loss of hope
Ukrainian:
ві́дчай
(vídčaj)
— loss of hope
Ukrainian:
відча́й
(vidčáj)
— loss of hope
Ukrainian:
ро́зпач
(rózpač)
— loss of hope
Ukrainian:
розпу́ка
(rozpúka)
— loss of hope
Ukrainian:
безнаді́йність
(beznadíjnistʹ)
— loss of hope
Urdu:
یاس
(yās)
— loss of hope
Urdu:
مایُوسی
(māyūsī)
— loss of hope
Urdu:
نا اُمِّیدی
(nā ummīdī)
— loss of hope
Uyghur:
ئۈمىدسىزلىك
(ümidsizlik)
— loss of hope
Uzbek:
umidsizlik
— loss of hope
Uzbek:
noumidlik
— loss of hope
Vietnamese:
sự tuyệt vọng
— loss of hope
Yiddish:
ייִאוש
(yiesh)
— loss of hope
Bulgarian:
отча́йвам се
(otčájvam se)
— to despair of
Chinese Mandarin:
絕望 /绝望
(juéwàng)
— to despair of
French:
désespérer
— to despair of
German:
verzweifeln
— to despair of
Hebrew:
התייאש
(hitya'ésh)
— to despair of
Hungarian:
csügged
— to despair of
Hungarian:
elcsügged
— to despair of
Hungarian:
kétségbeesik
— to despair of
Ido:
desesperar
— to despair of
Italian:
disperare
— to despair of
Japanese:
絶望する
(zetsubō suru)
— to despair of
Japanese:
諦める
(akirameru)
— to despair of
Kazakh:
үмітсіздену
(ümıtsızdenu)
— to despair of
Kazakh:
торығу
(toryğu)
— to despair of
Kazakh:
үміт үзу
(ümıt üzu)
— to despair of
Kazakh:
түңілу
(tüñılu)
— to despair of
Ladin:
vester gram
— to despair of
Latin:
dēspērō
— to despair of
Macedonian:
очајува
(očajuva)
— to despair of
Norwegian:
fortvile over
— to despair of
Old English:
ortrīewan
— to despair of
Portuguese:
desesperar-se
— to despair of
Romanian:
despera
— to despair of
Russian:
отча́иваться
(otčáivatʹsja)
— to despair of
Russian:
отча́яться
(otčájatʹsja)
— to despair of
Swedish:
förtvivla
— to despair of
Swedish:
misströsta
— to despair of
Tocharian B:
si-n-
— to despair of
Bulgarian:
отчайвам
(otčajvam)
— to cause to despair
Dutch:
tot wanhoop drijven
— to cause to despair
Georgian:
სასოწარკვეთა
(sasoc̣arḳveta)
— to cause to despair
German:
zur Verzweiflung bringen
— to cause to despair
Hebrew:
ייאש
(ye'ésh)
— to cause to despair
Hungarian:
elcsüggeszt
— to cause to despair
Ido:
desesperigar
— to cause to despair
Portuguese:
desesperar
— to cause to despair
Spanish:
desesperanzar
— to cause to despair
Arabic:
يَئِسَ
(yaʔisa)
— to be hopeless
Armenian:
հուսահատվել
(husahatvel)
— to be hopeless
Bulgarian:
губя надежда
(gubja nadežda)
— to be hopeless
Ngazidja Comorian:
utsindza twamaa
— to be hopeless
Czech:
zoufat
— to be hopeless
Dutch:
wanhopen
— to be hopeless
Esperanto:
malesperi
— to be hopeless
Finnish:
menettää toivonsa
— to be hopeless
Finnish:
luopua toivosta
— to be hopeless
French:
désespérer
— to be hopeless
Galician:
desesperar
— to be hopeless
German:
verzweifeln
— to be hopeless
German:
die Hoffnung aufgeben
— to be hopeless
Greek:
απελπίζομαι
(apelpízomai)
— to be hopeless
Ancient Greek:
ἀπελπίζω
(apelpízō)
— to be hopeless