Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

despairing

/dɪˈspɛɹ.ɪŋ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.63 in modern English

Syllables: de-spair-ing
IPA: /dɪˈspɛɹ.ɪŋ/

14

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Feeling, expressing, or caused by despair; hopeless.

verb

present participle and gerund of despair

noun

A mood or display of despair.

Example Sentences

"He was beginning to forget his burdening, despairing mood of a short while ago."
"But what things soever passed in him, when he ceased to see it; what ragings and despairings soever Teufelsdröckh's soul was the scene of, he has the goodness to conceal under a quite opaque cover of Silence."

Etymology

From Middle English despeyringe, equivalent to despair + -ing.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: despeyringe
Suffix: despair

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /dɪˈspɛɹ.ɪŋ/
British English: /dɪˈspɛə.ɹɪŋ/

Inflected Forms

despairings (plural)

Derived Forms

despairingly despairingness undespairing

Synonyms

desperate

Rhymes With

wearing sharing preparing bearing caring staring comparing declaring tearing daring pairing airing

Questions

How do you pronounce despairing?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈspɛɹ.ɪŋ/.
What does despairing mean?: Feeling, expressing, or caused by despair; hopeless.
Where does despairing come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce despairing

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “despairing”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪˈspɛɹ.ɪŋ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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