despair
despair — noun
1. The strong feeling that a situation will never improve and that all efforts to c
The strong feeling that a situation will never improve and that all efforts to change it are useless — as when someone you love has a dangerous illness and the doctors say they cannot help.
When the doctors told Asher the treatment had not worked, he was filled with despair.
collocation: filled with despair
Deep despair settled over the village when the drought destroyed the crops.
collocation: deep despair
Minh let out a cry of despair when she saw her broken computer.
Many young people feel despair when they cannot find a job after graduation.
It was a moment of pure despair as the bus pulled away without the children.
- hopelessness
the same core feeling, but less intense and more cognitive than emotional
- despondency
a formal term for low spirits and loss of confidence; less severe than despair and more temporary
- misery
emphasises physical or emotional suffering rather than the absence of hope
- gloom
the mildest of the group, often used to describe a sad atmosphere rather than a person's deep feeling
- hope
the belief that things can improve
文法句型
in despair
despair of something
cry/shout/sigh of despair
drive someone to despair
常見錯誤
2. A person or thing that causes so much difficulty or worry that others feel hopel
A person or thing that causes so much difficulty or worry that others feel hopeless or unable to cope.
That maths exam is the despair of every student in the class.
pattern: the despair of [group]
Sayaka's younger brother is the despair of his teachers with his constant talking.
pattern: the despair of [person]
The old printing machine was the despair of everyone in the office.
Invasive weeds in the garden are the despair of many amateur gardeners.
文法句型
the despair of [somebody/something]
用法筆記
Frequently used in the fixed pattern 'the despair of [person/group]' to describe someone or something that causes hopelessness in the people mentioned.
常見錯誤
despair — verb
1. To feel that a situation has no chance of getting better and to stop believing t
To feel that a situation has no chance of getting better and to stop believing that anything you do will help.
Samir despaired of ever passing the driving test after failing five times.
pattern: despair of + gerund
Local people despaired when the government closed the only hospital in the area.
Femi despaired at the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the ocean.
Rescue workers began to despair of finding any survivors in the ruined building.
- hope
to expect that something good will happen
文法句型
despair at [something]
despair of [something/doing something]
用法筆記
The verb is always used with a preposition ('of' or 'at') and never takes a direct object. 'Despair of' is commonly followed by a gerund (-ing form) to express hopelessness about a possible outcome.