1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
in despondency because he couldn't seem to settle into a lasting relationship
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2
as in despair
the state of being discouraged
in their despondency they seemingly forgot that losing teams can become winning teams in a single season
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3
as in desperation
utter loss of hope
never once gave into despondency and self-pity during her long recovery from her injuries in the car crash
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Recent Examples of despondency
What’s most interesting about them is how their initial economic despondency justifies their ensuing amorality, and how materialism becomes a guiding principle since the Company has given them nothing else to believe in.
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Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2024
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There was a sense of despondency at the FDA’s decision, especially among veteran communities where PTSD is prevalent.
—Olivia Goldhill and Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 9 Aug. 2024
While some industry politicos may have their preferences for VP, attention is still focused on the turnaround in enthusiasm from a month ago, when there was despondency and division in the donor class over Joe Biden’s prospects.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2024
On the national front, there is an air of despondency.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for despondency 
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2024
Newsletters Sign up for Morning Rounds Understand how science, health policy, and medicine shape the world every day
Privacy Policy
There was a sense of despondency at the FDA’s decision, especially among veteran communities where PTSD is prevalent.
—Olivia Goldhill and Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 9 Aug. 2024
While some industry politicos may have their preferences for VP, attention is still focused on the turnaround in enthusiasm from a month ago, when there was despondency and division in the donor class over Joe Biden’s prospects.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2024
On the national front, there is an air of despondency.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for despondency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despondency
Noun
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The song puts me in a state of deep despair — these haunting strings and ghostly pianos and synthesizers.Nate Sloan, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
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When the Great Depression hit in the early 1930s, Hitler and his followers were ready to take advantage of the German people’s despair and to focus their attention on a scapegoat—the political left and the Jews—as support for centrist political parties eroded.Christine Adams / Made by History, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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This too carries a whiff of desperation, as though people are intentionally putting on a brave face and shoving forward symbols of our collective creativity and togetherness.Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2024
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The team acquired him from San Francisco in a mid-season desperation move, just beating the trade deadline, after a plethora of injuries plunged the offense into a deep funk.Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The Fed’s duties expanded after the Great Depression, another crisis that was triggered by a stock market crash and made worse by an agricultural depression brought on by unsustainable farming practices, droughts and the Dust Bowl.Reco McCambry, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
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Postpartum depression symptoms can include persistent feelings of sadness, lack of interest in activities, eating and sleep disturbances and excessive irritability or crying.Dr. Esther Zusstone, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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To Lue’s dismay, the Clippers started poorly against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, falling behind by 26 points in the first quarter, their defense getting torched amid seven turnovers.Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
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Quasi provoked both delight and dismay on social media after its reveal in August 2019.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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To say more about the plot would spoil the film too much, but Ryder is really a chameleon, flickering between quiet melancholy, genuine affection, and darker, more selfish concerns, and the rotoscoping art style accentuates the expressiveness of her face.Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024
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At 78, Ferry reigns as the elder statesman of rock-star romantics, the king of elegant melancholy.Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Johnny Rockets Drown any potential sorrows in a free milkshake with an in-store purchase.Chris Morris, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024
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Many of those recollections contain notes of sorrow.Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Doom and gloom First released in North America on Nov. 21, 2004, the Nintendo DS arrived at a time when the air around the company was thick with the looming threat of defeat.Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2024
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Western red cedar, and the thick gloom of western hemlocks with their feathery branches, loom large.Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Despondency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despondency. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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