Desperate and Despondent

Desperate

Desperate adjective - Feeling or showing no hope.
Usage example: desperate cancer patients who are vulnerable to the claims of unscrupulous quacks

Despondent is a synonym for desperate in hopeless topic. In some cases you can use "Despondent" instead an adjective "Desperate", when it comes to topics like hope, despairing.

Nearby Words: desperately, desperation

Despondent

Despondent adjective - Feeling or showing no hope.
Usage example: after four days and still no word that the missing plane had been located, the relatives were despondent

Desperate is a synonym for despondent in hope topic. You can use "Desperate" instead an adjective "Despondent", if it concerns topics such as hopeless, despairing.

Cite this Source
Despondent and Desperate. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/desperate/despondent
Desperate & Despondent. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/desperate/despondent>.
Despondent or Desperate. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/desperate/despondent.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "desperate" and "despondent" have occurred on timeline