What does despondent mean?
Word: Despondent
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Despondent means low in spirits because things seem to be going badly.
Synonyms: dejected, downcast
How do you spell despondent?
Syllables: de - spon - dent
Tricky part: The final syllable is said so weakly that you cannot hear its vowel, and many pupils write despondant. Respondent and independent end the same way.
Watch out for: despondant, despondint
Memory tip: A dent in your good mood: that is how this word finishes.
Despondent in a sentence
Example 1: Felix grew despondent when his science model collapsed the night before the fair.
Example 2: After three weeks without rain, the farmers in our village were despondent about the crop.
Example 3: A kind word from her coach lifted Tara when she was feeling despondent.
Fun Fact
Its Latin parent meant to give up. The shorter Latin verb inside it, meaning to promise, also gave English the words sponsor and respond.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word despondent as used in the sentence:
The despondent team sat in silence on the bus after losing the semi-final.
a) hopeful
b) miserable
c) disheartened
d) gloomy
Show answer
a) hopeful. A hopeful team expects better things; the other three words describe the same low mood.
Word Cookie
One letter in this word is not needed. Find it:
desspondent
a) s
b) p
c) n
d) d
Show answer
a) s. Only one s comes before the p.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
After a third rained-off match, Jack felt dsoetnnped about the rest of the season.
a) dependent
b) resplendent
c) despondent
d) independent
Show answer
c) despondent. There is no r and no i in the jumble, and it has ten letters, which rules out the rest.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. melancoly 2. despondent 3. exhilirated 4. tranquill
a) seeing little chance of things improving
b) very happy and full of excitement
c) a deep, quiet sadness that lasts a long time
d) calm and peaceful
Show answer
a) seeing little chance of things improving. Melancholy needs an h after the c, exhilarated has an a after the l, and tranquil ends in one l.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which remark would you most expect from a player in this mood?
a) What is the point of trying again?
b) Coach, can we train for longer?
c) I cannot wait for the rematch.
d) The new kit looks very smart.
Show answer
a) What is the point of trying again?
2. A friend feels this way after a poor test result. Which response helps most?
a) ignoring the friend for about a week
b) telling the whole class about the result
c) listening, then planning revision together
d) comparing the marks with your own marks
Show answer
c) listening, then planning revision together
