despairs

verb

present tense third-person singular of despair
as in grieves
to lose all hope or confidence we despaired when we saw how little time we had left to complete our project

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of despairs In Osamu Dazai’s The Setting Sun, Kazuko despairs of the pain that her brother Naoji’s drug addiction and degenerate behavior have caused the family. — Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 As someone who regularly despairs over the choice between a sweet or savory breakfast meal, this was a godsend. — Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 26 Feb. 2026 When Eva suddenly disappears without a trace, the priest despairs, leading him to commit a series of shocking and violent crimes. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despairs
  1. grieves
  2. mourns
  3. suffers
Verb
  • When reached by phone Tuesday morning, a woman who identified herself as Destiny’s mother declined to comment and requested privacy as the family grieves.
    — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • My heart grieves for someone so special to this world and such a good friend to me.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of grieves
Verb
  • The world mourns not only a musical light, but a singular style star.
    — Kelsey Stiegman, InStyle, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The stars have lost a bit of their shine as the world mourns Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at the age of 80.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of mourns
Verb
  • Hunter could be in another waiting game for when either Williams or Corum suffers an injury.
    — Nate Atkins, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Clancy suffers from bipolar II disorder, a classification of the disorder that is not associated with mania, according to a diagnosis by Heilbrun.
    — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of suffers

Browse Nearby Words

despairingly
despairs
desperado
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Cite this Entry

“Despairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despairs. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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