despondency

English

Etymology

From Latin dēspondentia, from dēspondēns +‎ -ia. Equivalent to despondent +‎ -ency.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈspɒndənsi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

despondency (countable and uncountable, plural despondencies)

1. The loss of hope or confidence; despair or dejection.

   Synonyms: despair, desperation; see also Thesaurus:hopelessness

   • 2023, Clive Young, “chapter three: From Union to Devolution”, in Unlocking Scots: The Secret Life of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Luath Press Limited, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 93:

     Not everyone succumbed to such nostalgia and despondency. Some saw the existential threat to Scots as a call to document what remained.

2. A feeling of depression or disheartenment.

   Synonyms: melancholy, sorrow; see also Thesaurus:sadness

   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XV, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 127:

     He kissed her brow, and left her. She watched him unconsciously, till the winding walk hid him from her sight, and then sank back on her seat, every nerve relaxing from its high-strained excitement into utter and still despondency.

Translations

loss of hope or confidence

• Bulgarian: отчаяние (bg) (otčajanie), безнадеждност (bg) (beznadeždnost)
• Catalan: desesper m, desesperació f
• Czech: malomyslnost f
• Danish: modløshed c
• Dutch: wanhoop (nl) m, radeloosheid (nl) m
• French: désespoir (fr)
• German: Verzagtheit (de) f, Mutlosigkeit (de) f, Verzweiflung (de) f, Verzagen n
• Greek: αθυμία (el) f (athymía)

  Ancient Greek: δυσθυμία f (dusthumía)

• Italian: abbattimento (it) m
• Macedonian: о́чај m (óčaj), безна́дежност f (beznádežnost)
• Māori: takaruretanga, ngākau pōuri
• Polish: zniechęcenie (pl) n, beznadzieja (pl) f
• Romagnol: abatimént m
• Romanian: disperare (ro) f
• Russian: упадок духа (upadok duxa), отчаянье (ru) (otčajanʹje)
• Spanish: desesperanza (es) f, desesperación (es) f, descorazonamiento m
• Swedish: modlöshet (sv) c, hopplöshet (sv)
• Tagalog: hinayo, paghihinayo
• Turkish: umutsuzluk (tr), ümitsizlik (tr)

a feeling of depression or disheartenment

• Bulgarian: униние (bg) (uninie)
• Catalan: desànim (ca) m, abatiment m
• Czech: malomyslnost f
• Danish: modløshed c
• Dutch: wanhoop (nl) m, radeloosheid (nl) m
• French: abattement (fr) m
• German: Niedergeschlagenheit (de) f, Mutlosigkeit (de) f
• Greek: αθυμία (el) f (athymía)

  Ancient Greek: δυσθυμία f (dusthumía)

• Irish: anaoibh f, gruaim f
• Italian: abbattimento (it) m, scoraggiamento (it) m, sconforto (it) m
• Latin: maestitia f, maeror m
• Macedonian: мало́душност f (malódušnost)
• Māori: takaruretanga, rāwakiwaki, ngākau pōuri
• Norwegian: motløshet m, mistrøstighet m, nedtrykthet m, nedtrykking f, mismot n
• Polish: zniechęcenie (pl) n, zwątpienie (pl) n
• Romagnol: abatimént m
• Romanian: mâhnire (ro) f, melancolie (ro) f
• Russian: отчаянье (ru) (otčajanʹje), уныние (ru) (unynije)
• Tagalog: hinayo, paghihinayo
• Tocharian B: silñe
• Turkish: cesaretsizlik (tr)