If you feel hopeless, you feel very unhappy because there seems to be no possibility of a better situation or success.
He had not heard her cry before in this uncontrolled, hopeless way.
He began to feel hopeless and his level of confidence plummeted.
hopelesslyadverb [ADVERB after verb]
I looked around hopelessly.
...a young woman hopelessly in love with a handsome hero.
Synonyms: without hope, desperately, in despair, despairingly More Synonyms of hopeless
hopelessnessuncountable noun
She had a feeling of hopelessness about the future. [+ about]
2. adjective
Someone or something thing that is hopeless is certain to fail or be unsuccessful.
I don't believe your situation is as hopeless as you think.
A doctor is there to treat and to cure, not to dismiss anyone as a hopeless case.
Synonyms: impossible, pointless, futile, useless More Synonyms of hopeless
3. adjective
If someone is hopelessat something, they are very bad at it.
[informal]
I'd be hopeless at working for somebody else. [+ at]
I was fine at sports, but pretty hopeless academically.
Synonyms: no good, inadequate, useless [informal], poor More Synonyms of hopeless
4. adjective
You use hopeless to emphasize how bad or inadequate something or someone is.
[emphasis]
I don't drive and the buses are quite hopeless.
Argentina's economic policies were a hopeless mess.
hopelesslyadverb [oft ADVERB after verb]
The story is hopelessly confusing.
Harry was hopelessly lost.
By October 1990, when arrested, he was hopelessly in debt.
Synonyms: without hope, desperately, in despair, despairingly More Synonyms of hopeless
Synonyms: completely, totally, extremely, desperately More Synonyms of hopeless
More Synonyms of hopeless
hopeless in British English
(ˈhəʊplɪs)
adjective
1.
having or offering no hope
2.
impossible to analyse or solve
3.
unable to learn, function, etc
4. informal
without skill or ability
Derived forms
hopelessly (ˈhopelessly)
adverb
hopelessness (ˈhopelessness)
noun
hopeless in American English
(ˈhoʊplɪs)
adjective
1.
without hope
a hopeless prisoner
2.
allowing no hope; causing despair
a hopeless situation
3.
impossible to solve, cure, deal with, teach, etc.
SYNONYMY NOTE: hopeless means having no expectation of, or showing no sign of, a favorable outcome [a hopeless situation]; despondent implies a being in very low spirits because of a loss of hope and a sense of futilityabout continuing one's efforts [her rejection of his suit left him despondent]; despairing implies utter loss of hope and may suggest the extreme dejection that results [the despairing lover spoke of suicide]; desperate implies such despair as makes one resort to extreme measures [hunger makes men desperate]
OPPOSITES: hopeful, optimistic
Derived forms
hopelessly (ˈhopelessly)
adverb
hopelessness (ˈhopelessness)
noun
Examples of 'hopeless' in a sentence
hopeless
They can lose a hopeless case but quite legally claim their huge costs.
The Sun (2017)
Is it any wonder people feel hopeless about their property prospects?
The Sun (2016)
Those we talk to trapped there are scared, bitter and hopeless, feeling abandoned by the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Those we talk to trapped there are scared, bitter and hopeless, feeling abandonedby the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Feeling hopeless and helpless?
The Sun (2017)
Winning then taught me that there is no such thing as a hopeless case.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Was it all a reaction to her hopeless love life?
The Sun (2014)
Yet they have not always been hopeless at headquarters.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
This all needs addressing because right now it feels hopeless.
The Sun (2014)
This upset her and made her feel that the future was hopeless.
Wallace, Louise M & Bundy, Christine Coping with Angina (1990)
There was something hopeless about the scene.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They took cover in a farm house but arrival of an enemy platoon made the situation hopeless.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
To them he was a hopeless case.
Iain Gale Man of Honour (2007)
The two together is like trying to find love in a hopeless place.
The Sun (2012)
My life felt like a hopeless mess.
Christianity Today (2000)
Making the best out of a hopeless situation but he has still failed to convince the nation.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
They thought of me as a hopeless case where marriage was concerned.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Some people go around acting like that because they feel hopeless.
Herman, Judith Lewis Trauma and Recovery (1992)
When dealing with a broader portfolio, he is almost comically hopeless.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Another 5 per cent said they were just hopeless at cooking.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Ulster's history suggests their plight is almost hopeless.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Following a motorbike accident Will is left in a wheelchair and feeling hopeless about his future.
The Sun (2012)
In many situations it's almost hopeless.
Al Ries and Laura Ries THE 22 IMMUTABLE LAWS OF BRANDING (2002)
Don't project dark imaginings into the future or become hopeless and despairing.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Of course they were all utterly hopeless at doing something practical that requires a bit of elbow grease and failed miserably in the first basic cleaning task.
The Sun (2009)
Another dismissed the reforms as'a hopeless mess '.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In other languages
hopeless
British English: hopeless /ˈhəʊplɪs/ ADJECTIVE
If you feel hopeless, you feel desperate because there seems to be no possibility of success.