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Webster 1913 Edition
Despair
De-spair′
,Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Despaired
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Despairing
.] [OE.
despeiren
, dispeiren
, OF. desperer
, fr. L. desperare
; de-
+ sperare
to hope; akin to spes
hope, and perh. to spatium
space, E. space
, speed
; cf. OF. espeir
hope, F. espoir
. Cf. Prosper
, Desperate
.] To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation; – often with of.
We
despaired
even of life. 2 Cor. i. 8.
Syn. – See
Despond
. De-spair′
,Verb.
T.
1.
To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.
[Obs.]
I would not
despair
the greatest design that could be attempted. Milton.
2.
To cause to despair.
[Obs.]
Sir W. Williams.
De-spair′
,Noun.
[Cf. OF.
despoir
, fr. desperer
.] 1.
Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.
We in dark dreams are tossing to and fro,
Pine with regret, or sicken with
Pine with regret, or sicken with
despair
. Keble.
Before he [Bunyan] was ten, his sports were interrupted by fits of remorse and
despair
. Macaulay.
Syn. – Desperation; despondency; hopelessness.
Webster 1828 Edition
Despair
DESPAIR
, n.1.
Hopelessness; a hopeless state; a destitution of hope or expectation.We are perplexed, but not in despair. 2 Cor. 4.
All safety in despair of safety placed.
2.
That which causes despair; that of which there is no hope.The mere despair of surgery, he cures.
3.
Loss of hope in the mercy of God.DESPAIR
,Verb.
I.
We despaired even of life. 2 Cor. 1.
Never despair of Gods blessings here, or of his reward hereafter.
Definition 2025
despair
despair
English
Verb
despair (third-person singular simple present despairs, present participle despairing, simple past and past participle despaired)
- (transitive, obsolete) To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.
- Milton
- I would not despair the greatest design that could be attempted.
- Milton
- (transitive, obsolete) To cause to despair.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir W. Williams to this entry?)
- (intransitive, often with “of”) To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation.
- Bible, 2 Corinthians i. 8
- We despaired even of life.
- Bible, 2 Corinthians i. 8
Translations
to despair of
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to cause to despair
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to be hopeless
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Noun
despair (countable and uncountable, plural despairs)
- Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.
- He turned around in despair, aware that he was not going to survive
- That which is despaired of.
Synonyms
Translations
loss of hope
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