Dictionary

hopeless en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈhəʊplɪs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ˈhoʊplɪs/ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *tōhopōnder. Old English tōhopa Old English hopa Middle English hope English hope Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English hopeless From hope + -less. Compare Swedish hopplös.

Meanings

1. Without hope; despairing; not expecting anything positive.
   • Edward Churchill still attended to his work in a hopeless mechanical manner like a sleep-walker who walks safely on a well-known round. But his Roman collar galled him, his cossack stifled him, his biretta was as uncomfortable as a merry-andrew's cap and bells. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XV, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
   • And he a prince; To marry him is hopeleſſe; 1613–1614 (date written), John Fletcher, William Shak[e]speare, The Two Noble Kinsmen: […], London: […] Tho[mas] Cotes, for Iohn Waterson; […], published 1634, →OCLC, Act II, scene iii, page 31:
   • I am a woman, friendless, hopeless. 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
   • A gaoler struck him, pushing him back in place in the hopeless, helpless line of prisoners. 1966, James Workman, The Mad Emperor, Melbourne, Sydney: Scripts, page 41:
2. Giving no ground of hope; promising nothing desirable; desperate.
   • My mind is a camera / Camela mon camela ambra / It brings into focus / The dreams of kings / And even the hopeless 1970, The Friends of Distinction, “My Mind Is a Camera”, in Real Friends:
3. Without talent, not skilled.
   • " It is a pure waste of time." "Not at all," Malone answered. "It has ventilated an evil. There were reporters in court. Surely some of them have some sense. They will note the injustice." "Not they," said Mailey. "The Press is hopeless. My God, what a responsibility these people take on themselves, and how little they guess the price that each will pay! I know." 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
   • He's a hopeless writer, but can draw very well.
4. (figuratively) Of an adverse condition, incurable.
   • He is a hopeless idler.
   • She is a hopeless romantic.

Forms

Antonyms

hopeful

Deriveds

hopelessly · hopelessness

Synonyms

black · desperate · forlorn · unhopeful

Translations (60)

lv bezcerīgs (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · ja 絶望的な (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · nl kansloos (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · kk үмітсіз (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · cy diobaith (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · no håpløs (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · fr désespéré (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · nl uitzichtloos (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · cmn 沒有希望的 /没有希望的 (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · ja 絶望した (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · sv hopplös (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · hy անհույս (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · es sin esperanza (s) (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · th หมดหวัง (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · de hoffnungslos (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · hu reménytelen (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · it disperato (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · mk безнадежен (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · fi toivoton (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · ga éadóchasach (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · grc ἀνέλπιστος (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · hu reményvesztett (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · no vonlaus (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · ru безнадёжный (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · nn håplaus (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · cy anobeithiol (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · ms putus asa (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · kmr bêhêvî (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · ro disperat (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · es desesperanzado (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · pt desesperançado (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · lt beviltiškas (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · el ανέλπιδος (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · fo vónleysur (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · bg безнадежден (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · th สิ้นหวัง (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · tr ümitsiz (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · la desperatus (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · pdt hopnungslooss (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · fo hopleysur (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · ckb نا ئومێد (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · ca desesperat (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · af hopeloos (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · cs beznadějný (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · da håbløs (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · uk безнаді́йний (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · pl beznadziejny (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · pt desesperado (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · nl hopeloos (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · no vonløs (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · tr umutsuz (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · ka უიმედო (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · ro deznădăjduit (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · eo senespera (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · nn vonlaus (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · no håplaus (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · cmn 絕望的 /绝望的 (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · fa ناامید (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · tr nevmit (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing) · gl desesperado (destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing)