hopelessness en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
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 Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English hopelessness From hopeless + -ness.
Meanings
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(countable, of a person's outlook, uncountable) A lack of hope. ▸ The state of having no hope, being unhopeful.
On the app I’d ultimately go with, I presented myself truthfully, as a Republican-curious woman tired of the Democrats’ hopelessness and constant pivoting during a highly charged election year.
2025 February 18, Vera Papisova, “I Spent Nearly a Year on a Conservative Dating App as a Liberal—Here’s What I Learned”, in Cosmopolitan:Depression can induce an overwhelming sense of sadness and hopelessness.
2022 August 23, Dani Blum, “How Can I Tell if I’m Depressed or Burned Out?”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 31 Aug 2022:The survey found increasing mental health challenges, experiences of violence, and suicidal thoughts and behavior among all teens. More than 40% of high school students said that feelings of sadness or hopelessness prevented them from engaging in their regular activities for at least two weeks of the year.
2023 February 13, Deidre McPhillips, “Teens, especially girls, are experiencing more violence, suicidal thoughts and mental health challenges, CDC survey finds”, in CNN:Near-synonym: pessimism
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(countable, of something's or someone's value to the speaker, uncountable) A lack of hope. ▸ Lack of potential.
He considered the former tooling hopeless, and he reported its hopelessness to his boss right away.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hopelessnesses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Panglossianism · hopefulness · optimism · respair · hope · hopefulness · hope · Pollyannaism
Coordinates
cynicalness · uselessness · realisticness · realism · cynicism · worthlessness
Deriveds
Hypernyms
Relateds
pit of despair · slough of despond · alew · lost cause
Synonyms
pessimism · despair · despondency · unhope · despondency · despond · desperation · wanhope · hopelessness · despair · desperation
Translations (67)
yue 絕望 /绝望 (the lack of hope; despair) · pl beznadzieja (the lack of hope; despair) · mk безнадежност (the lack of hope; despair) · fa-ira نااُمیدی (the lack of hope; despair) · fa-ira نُوْمیدی (the lack of hope; despair) · ro disperare (the lack of hope; despair) · nb håpløshet (the lack of hope; despair) · de Hoffnungslosigkeit (the lack of hope; despair) · el απελπισία (the lack of hope; despair) · nl hopeloosheid (the lack of hope; despair) · es desesperanza (the lack of hope; despair) · ceb pagkawalay-paglaom (the lack of hope; despair) · cs beznaděj (the lack of hope; despair) · sk beznádej (the lack of hope; despair) · ka სასოწარკვეთილება (the lack of hope; despair) · cs beznadějnost (the lack of hope; despair) · be безнадзе́йнасьць (the lack of hope; despair) · ro disperație (the lack of hope; despair) · id keputusasan (the lack of hope; despair) · it disperazione (the lack of hope; despair) · vi sự tuyệt vọng (the lack of hope; despair) · tt өметсезлек (the lack of hope; despair) · ru безнадёжность (the lack of hope; despair) · ko 절망 (the lack of hope; despair) · ro deznădejde (the lack of hope; despair) · ka უიმედობა (the lack of hope; despair) · be безнадзе́йнасць (the lack of hope; despair) · ka უსასოობა (the lack of hope; despair) · ky үмүтсүздүк (the lack of hope; despair) · tk umytsyzlyk (the lack of hope; despair) · ja 絶望 (the lack of hope; despair) · sk beznádejnosť (the lack of hope; despair) · mi rāwakiwaki (the lack of hope; despair) · pl beznadziejność (the lack of hope; despair) · sh bèznāđe (the lack of hope; despair) · sl brezupnost (the lack of hope; despair) · ckb نائومێدی (the lack of hope; despair) · fi toivottomuus (the lack of hope; despair) · sv hopplöshet (the lack of hope; despair) · hu reménytelenség (the lack of hope; despair) · lv bezcerība (the lack of hope; despair) · mi kiriwera (the lack of hope; despair) · ur مایُوسی (the lack of hope; despair) · fa-ira نااُمّیدی (the lack of hope; despair) · la desperatio (the lack of hope; despair) · hy հուսալքություն (the lack of hope; despair) · bg безнаде́ждност (the lack of hope; despair) · mi takaruretanga (the lack of hope; despair) · hi निराशा (the lack of hope; despair) · pt desesperança (the lack of hope; despair) · da håbløshed (the lack of hope; despair) · cmn 絕望 /绝望 (the lack of hope; despair) · ug ئۈمىدسىزلىك (the lack of hope; despair) · tg ноумедӣ (the lack of hope; despair) · lt beviltiškumas (the lack of hope; despair) · tr umutsuzluk (the lack of hope; despair) · uk безнаді́йність (the lack of hope; despair) · az ümidsizlik (the lack of hope; despair) · hy վհատություն (the lack of hope; despair) · kmr bêhêvîtî (the lack of hope; despair) · fr désespérance (the lack of hope; despair) · sh бѐзна̄ђе (the lack of hope; despair) · ur نا اُمِّیدی (the lack of hope; despair) · tl kawalang-pag-asa (the lack of hope; despair) · uz umidsizlik (the lack of hope; despair) · hy հուսահատություն (the lack of hope; despair) · kk үмітсіздік (the lack of hope; despair)