hopelessness

[ hohp-lis-nis ]

noun

1. the feeling or condition of having no hope; despair; desperation:

   Among the worst demons of addiction is hopelessness.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hopelessness¹

First recorded in 1805–10; hopeless ( def ) + -ness ( def )

Example Sentences

“Antipathy and hopelessness really doesn’t serve us in the long run.”

From Los Angeles Times

Anyone who dreaded another four years of Trump vacillated from hopelessness to euphoria to quiet dread.

From Salon

“There is a lot of hopelessness here,” Brown said.

From Salon

But for me it was unusual because it showed the pain, grief, chaos, panic and hopelessness in the seconds and minutes immediately after an attack.

From BBC

Americans should recognize that poverty and hopelessness can create a pipeline of recruits for crime, in the Middle East just as in the United States and everywhere else.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• anguish
• desperation
• despondency
• discouragement
• gloom
• melancholy
• misery
• sorrow