Standard Lemma guide
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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
Lack of hope; hopelessness; despair.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, archaic, dialectal, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: despond, unhope, despair, desperation, despondency, hopelessness, wanhope
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Vain hope; overconfidence; delusion.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: pie in the sky, pipe dream
Antonyms: none provided
History
From Middle English wanhope, equivalent to wan- + hope. Cognate with Scots wanhop, wanhope (“wanhope, despair”), West Frisian wanhope (“wanhope, despair”), Dutch wanhoop (“despair”).
