despairing

Saydi-SPAIR-ing/dɪˈspɛɹ.ɪŋ/UK/dɪˈspɛəɹ.ɪŋ/

Noun pluraldespairings

3 meanings of despairing

1
adjective
Feeling, showing, or coming from a loss of all hope.
She gave him a despairing look when the bus drove away without them.
The despairing parents searched the woods all night for their son.
Similarhopeless, desperate, despondent, anguished
Oppositehopeful
2
verb
Present participle and gerund of despair. Use it after "is" or "was", or as a noun for the act.
After months without work, he was despairing of ever finding a job.
Don't start despairing yet, because the doctor says there is still a chance.
Note
3
nouncountable or uncountable
A feeling of having no hope, or a way of showing that feeling.
Her quiet despairing worried her friends more than tears would have.
He wrote all his despairings in a secret diary.
Similarhopelessness, despondency
Note

despairing is a form of despair

despair, verb: To stop hoping and feel that nothing good will happen. Full entry

Forms: despairdespairs he/she/itdespairing -ing formdespaired past tense, past participle
Spelling: despair → despairing: add -ing

Use it in a sentence

Write your own sentence with despairing, and AI will tell you whether it fits and which meaning you used.

Origin

It comes from "despair" with the ending "-ing". It was already used in Middle English.