- Desponded
- despond de*spond", v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Desponded}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Desponding}.] [L. despond[=e]re, desponsum, to
promise away, promise in marriage, give up, to lose
(courage); de- + spond[=e]re to promise solemnly. See
{Sponsor}.]
To give up the will, courage, or spirit; to be thoroughly
disheartened; to lose all courage; to become dispirited or
depressed; to take an unhopeful view.
[1913 Webster]
I should despair, or at least despond. --Scott's Letters. [1913 Webster]
Others depress their own minds, [and] despond at the first difficulty. --Locke. [1913 Webster]
We wish that . . . desponding patriotism may turn its eyes hitherward, and be assured that the foundations of our national power still stand strong. --D. Webster.
Syn: {Despond}, {Dispair}.
Usage: Despair implies a total loss of hope, which despond does not, at least in every case; yet despondency is often more lasting than despair, or than desperation, which impels to violent action. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.