A state in which all hope is lost or absent:
— In the depths of despair.
— They were rescued from despair at the last minute.

synonym: desperation.

Roget 828: mental suffering, pain, dolor; suffering, sufferance; ache, smart etc. (physical pain) 378; passion.    displeasure, dissatisfaction, discomfort, discomposure, disquiet; malaise; inquietude, uneasiness, vexation of spirit; taking; discontent etc. 832.    dejection etc. 837; weariness etc. 841; anhedonia^†.    annoyance, irritation, worry, infliction, visitation; plague, bore; bother, botheration; stew, vexation, mortification, chagrin, esclandre [Fr.]; mauvais quart d'heur [Fr.].    care, anxiety, solicitude, trouble, trial, ordeal, fiery ordeal, shock, blow, cark^†, dole, fret, burden, load.    concern, grief, sorrow, distress, affliction, woe, bitterness, heartache; carking cares; heavy heart, aching heart, bleeding heart, broken heart; heavy affliction, gnawing grief.    unhappiness, infelicity, misery, tribulation, wretchedness, desolation; despair etc. 859; extremity, prostration, depth of misery.    nightmare, ephialtes^†, incubus.    pang, anguish, agony; torture, torment; purgatory etc. (hell) 982.    hell upon earth; iron age, reign of terror; slough of despond etc. (adversity) 735; peck of troubles; ills that flesh is heir to" etc. (evil) 619 [Hamlet]; miseries of human life; unkindest cut of all" [Julius Caesar]. sufferer, victim, prey, martyr, object of compassion, wretch, shorn lamb.    ... show more

Roget 837: dejection; dejectedness etc. adj.; depression, prosternation^†; lowness of spirits, depression of spirits; weight on the spirits, oppression on the spirits, damp on the spirits; low spirits, bad spirits, drooping spirits, depressed spirits; heart sinking; heaviness of heart, failure of heart.    heaviness etc. adj.; infestivity^†, gloom; weariness etc. 841; taedium vitae, disgust of life; mal du pays etc. (regret) 833; anhedonia^†.    melancholy; sadness etc. adj.; il penseroso [It], melancholia, dismals^†, blues, lachrymals^†, mumps^†, dumps, blue devils, doldrums; vapors, megrims, spleen, horrors, hypochondriasis [Med.], pessimism; la maladie sans maladie [Fr.]; despondency, slough of Despond; disconsolateness etc. adj.; hope deferred, blank despondency; voiceless woe.    prostration of soul; broken heart; despair etc. 859; cave of despair, cave of Trophonius demureness etc. adj.; gravity, solemnity; long face, grave face.    hypochondriac, seek sorrow, self-tormentor, heautontimorumenos^†, malade imaginaire [Fr.], medecin tant pis [Fr.]; croaker, pessimist; mope, mopus^†.    [Cause of dejection] affliction etc. 830; sorry sight; memento mori [Lat.]; damper, wet blanket, Job's comforter.    ... show more

Roget 859: hopelessness etc. adj.; despair, desperation; despondency, depression etc. (dejection) 837; pessimism, pessimist; Job's comforter; bird of bad omen, bird of ill omen.    abandonment, desolation; resignation, surrender, submission etc. 725.    hope deferred, dashed hopes; vain expectation etc. (disappointment) 509.    airy hopes etc. etc. 858; forlorn hope; gone case, dead duck, gone coon [U.S.]; goner [Slang]; bad job, bad business; enfant perdu [Fr.]; gloomy horizon, black spots in the horizon; slough of Despond, cave of Despair; immedicabile vulnus [Lat.].    ... show more

Roget 860: fear, timidity, diffidence, want of confidence; apprehensiveness, fearfulness etc. adj.; solicitude, anxiety, care, apprehension, misgiving; feeze [U.S.]; mistrust etc. (doubt) 485; suspicion, qualm; hesitation etc. (irresolution) 605.    nervousness, restlessness etc. adj.; inquietude, disquietude, worry, concern; batophobia^†; heartquake^†; flutter, trepidation, fear and trembling, perturbation, tremor, quivering, shaking, trembling, throbbing heart, palpitation, ague fit, cold sweat; abject fear etc. (cowardice) 862; mortal funk, heartsinking^†, despondency; despair etc. 859.    fright; affright, affrightment^†; boof alarm [U.S.], dread, awe, terror, horror, dismay, consternation, panic, scare, stampede (of horses). intimidation, terrorism, reign of terror.    [Object of fear] bug bear, bugaboo; scarecrow; hobgoblin etc. (demon) 980; nightmare, Gorgon, mormo^†, ogre, Hurlothrumbo^†, raw head and bloody bones, fee-faw-fum, bete noire [Fr.], enfant terrible [Fr.].    alarmist etc. (coward) 862.    ... show more

The feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well.

Polish: rozpacz, boleść, desperacja

Abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart.

Roget 828: feel pain, suffer pain, experience pain, undergo pain, bear pain, endure pain etc. n., smart, ache etc. (physical pain) 378; suffer, bleed, ail; be the victim of.    labor under afflictions; bear the cross; quaff the bitter cup, have a bad time of it; fall on evil days etc. (adversity) 735; go hard with, come to grief, fall a sacrifice to, drain the cup of misery to the dregs, sup full of horrors" [Macbeth]. sit on thorns, be on pins and needles, wince, fret, chafe, worry oneself, be in a taking, fret and fume; take on, take to heart; cark^†.    grieve; mourn etc. (lament) 839; yearn, repine, pine, droop, languish, sink; give way; despair etc. 859; break one's heart; weigh upon the heart etc. (inflict pain) 830.    ... show more

Roget 837: be dejected etc. adj.; grieve; mourn etc. (lament) 839; take on, give way, lose heart, despond, droop, sink.    lower, look downcast, frown, pout; hang down the head; pull a long face, make a long face; laugh on the wrong side of the mouth; grin a ghastly smile; look blue, look like a drowned man; lay to heart, take to heart.    mope, brood over; fret; sulk; pine, pine away; yearn; repine etc. (regret) 833; despair etc. 859.    refrain from laughter, keep one's countenance; be grave, look grave etc. adj.; repress a smile.    depress; discourage, dishearten; dispirit; damp, dull, deject, lower, sink, dash, knock down, unman, prostrate, break one's heart; frown upon; cast a gloom, cast a shade on; sadden; damp one's hopes, dash one's hopes, wither one's hopes; weigh on the mind, lie heavy on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, lie heavy on the spirits, prey on the spirits; damp the spirits, depress the spirits.    ... show more

Roget 859: despair; lose all hope, give up all hope, abandon all hope, relinquish all hope, lose the hope of, give up the hope of, abandon the hope of, relinquish the hope of; give up, give over; yield to despair; falter; despond etc. (be dejected) 837; jeter le manche apres la cognee [Fr.].    inspire despair, drive to despair etc. n.; disconcert; dash one's hopes, crush one's hopes, destroy one's hopes; hope against hope.    abandon; resign, surrender, submit etc. 725.    ... show more

Dutch: verslagenheid, vertwijfeling, radeloosheid, hopeloosheid, desperatie, wanhoop, wanhopen, versagen