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despondent

adjective/dɪˈspɒnd(ə)nt/

B2CEFR level
35/100Rarity: fairly common
NeutralRegister

In low spirits from a loss of hope or courage.

After the fourth rejection letter he grew despondent about ever being published.

Similar: dejected, disheartened

Origin: Latin despondere 'to give up, promise away'.

Topic: despair in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: despair