despair
Example Sentences
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Recalling how he rushed to the site of the crash, Fernandez said he was confronted with "an image of desolation, despair, uncertainty, death".
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Unlike bear-market bottoms, which typically end with a spasm of despair as traders throw in the towel, bull-market tops are far more gradual and less dramatic.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
Both said that the scandal dominating the headlines and the loss of their dream jobs sent them into the depths of despair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
"I just want him to stay out of my way forever," she says, with a sigh of despair.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
My motorcycle, he thought in despair, I’ll never get my motorcycle back if I don’t do it right.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
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Now 27, she despairs when hearing another Cornell president talk about reforming the Greek system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Marriage is the main topic, both the joys and despairs, in numbers that make ambivalence energizing, fun, poignant and, most important, resonantly true.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2024
When her TV show is canceled, the actress does what you might predict given the movie’s exaggerated look and tone: She despairs at what she sees in the mirror and reaches for an outrageous solution.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2024
Kakar despairs at the plight of Afghans who remain in Pakistan.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2024
He despairs of us, all of us, including the model, whose surreptitious gum chewing maddens him.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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Things became "very difficult indeed" in the marriage early on, Earl Spencer writes, adding that he is "sure that both spouses despaired of the other at times".
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Still, he kept laboring toward a perfection he didn’t always reach but never despaired of reaching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
But closer to the high-security perimeter, a crowd of worshippers despaired as police officers blocked their route.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
In the early, chaotic days of the COVID-19 pandemic, transitional-kindergarten teacher Elizabeth Lam despaired.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025
My dear Miss Lydia, By now you have despaired of me and decided that I am a man who does not honor his word.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
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The bolder choice would have been to commit to expressing the despairing lessons of this world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Despite facing notable challenges and coming of age in a culture infected by “big woe,” or an onslaught of despairing information, Moore believes there is still reason for young people to be optimistic.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
But he's already despairing about his future housing prospects.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
As wars multiply, Pope Leo’s aides aren’t despairing about the possibilities of diplomacy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026
Walter didn't say anything as I explained the situation, but he had a strange, despairing look on his face.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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Vocabulary lists containing despair
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A Long Walk to Water
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