despair
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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“The Ford/Hill Project” filled me with sadness but not despair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Through the emotional ringer again - despair to hope in the space of three days.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
"I have no plans to take the exam elsewhere; financially, it is not possible for me to take it outside Iran," she told AFP, describing the "sheer despair" among Iranians hoping to study abroad.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
In the years that followed, she would occasionally redownload the apps, then delete them again when despair overwhelmed her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
A wave of despair and rage rolled over him.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Marriage is the main topic, both the joys and despairs, in numbers that make ambivalence energizing, fun, poignant and, most important, resonantly true.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2024
Kakar despairs at the plight of Afghans who remain in Pakistan.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2024
Then Isabel’s despairs stack, pressing her to expand her inquiry beyond the United States and diagnose history’s gravest injuries.
From Salon ● Jan. 26, 2024
Now he despairs of the international community because it is not doing more to stop the fighting.
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2024
Remove a bonobo from its mother, and it immediately despairs.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
But closer to the high-security perimeter, a crowd of worshippers despaired as police officers blocked their route.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
After deep contemplation, she despaired, writing: “Nature’s silence is its one remark, and every flake of world is a chip off that old mute and immutable block.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
In the early, chaotic days of the COVID-19 pandemic, transitional-kindergarten teacher Elizabeth Lam despaired.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025
You despaired because buying merchandise—both Fanatics’ own and products it retails—did not satiate your appetite to do e-commerce with this company.
From Slate ● Mar. 7, 2025
Tendai looked up at the blue sky and despaired.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
Despite facing notable challenges and coming of age in a culture infected by “big woe,” or an onslaught of despairing information, Moore believes there is still reason for young people to be optimistic.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
As wars multiply, Pope Leo’s aides aren’t despairing about the possibilities of diplomacy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026
“Especially in despairing economic times we need to ensure people aren’t being denied access.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
This was Spurs in microcosm with mistake piled upon mistake – the self-destruct button pressed with despairing regularity.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
Here was something to make them proud, something to give them hope after the despairing stories of Bull Run and Ball’s Bluff and Wilson’s Creek.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
Vocabulary lists containing despair
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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A Long Walk to Water
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