Despondent and Melancholy

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

Melancholy is a synonym for despondent in dejected topic. In some cases you can use "Melancholy" instead the word "Despondent" as an adjective or a noun, when it comes to topics like depressed, sad. popular alternative

Melancholy

Melancholy adjective - Feeling unhappiness.
Usage example: she was a bit melancholy after her youngest child left for college

Despondent is a synonym for melancholy in depressed topic. You can use "Despondent" instead an adjective "Melancholy", if it concerns topics such as sad. popular alternative

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