hopeless
adjective
hope·less ˈhō-pləs 
1
a
: having no expectation of good or success : despairing
felt hopeless and alone
b
: not susceptible to remedy or cure
doctors say his condition is hopeless
c
: incapable of redemption or improvement
She's a hopeless romantic.
the most hopeless group of golfers you've ever seen
2
a
: giving no reason to expect good or success : giving no ground for hope : desperate
The situation looked hopeless.
b
: incapable of solution, management, or accomplishment : impossible
a hopeless task
hopelessness noun
Synonyms
- incorrigible
- incurable
- irrecoverable
- irredeemable
- irreformable
- irremediable
- irretrievable
- unrecoverable
- unredeemable
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
He felt confused and hopeless after losing his job. We were the most hopeless group of golfers you ever saw. He's very ill, but his condition isn't hopeless.
Recent Examples on the Web Nothing seems more hopeless than trying to get out of a black hole—in fact, this impossibility is what defines it. 
Ahmed Almheiri, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2022 Believing the project was hopeless, LiCo abandoned Chile in 2019. Ryan Dube, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2022 This dress is a hopeless romantic's dream — just imagine dramatically dashing down the hallway in this floaty, feminine, soft pink dress. Hannah Oh, Seventeen, 28 July 2022 Hope may be the thing with feathers, but this bunch of feathers is hopeless. John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 July 2022 Related: These hopeless Red Sox should be ready to trade players — but which ones? Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2022 The major signs of PPD aren’t much different from the symptoms of anyone else experiencing typical anxiety or depression; the signs can include feeling overwhelmed, hopeless, withdrawn, uninterested and overly worried. Fox News, 20 June 2022 Symptoms include: Feeling sad or down every day; losing interest in activities; having low energy; sleeping too much; overeating; difficulty concentrating; feeling hopeless, worthless, or guilty; lastly, some even begin to lose the will to live. Alex Wagner, SPIN, 6 Apr. 2022 Xander Bogaerts is another Sox star that seems hopeless in clutch situations of late. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 9 July 2022 See More
Ahmed Almheiri, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2022 Believing the project was hopeless, LiCo abandoned Chile in 2019. Ryan Dube, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2022 This dress is a hopeless romantic's dream — just imagine dramatically dashing down the hallway in this floaty, feminine, soft pink dress. Hannah Oh, Seventeen, 28 July 2022 Hope may be the thing with feathers, but this bunch of feathers is hopeless. John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 July 2022 Related: These hopeless Red Sox should be ready to trade players — but which ones? Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2022 The major signs of PPD aren’t much different from the symptoms of anyone else experiencing typical anxiety or depression; the signs can include feeling overwhelmed, hopeless, withdrawn, uninterested and overly worried. Fox News, 20 June 2022 Symptoms include: Feeling sad or down every day; losing interest in activities; having low energy; sleeping too much; overeating; difficulty concentrating; feeling hopeless, worthless, or guilty; lastly, some even begin to lose the will to live. Alex Wagner, SPIN, 6 Apr. 2022 Xander Bogaerts is another Sox star that seems hopeless in clutch situations of late. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 9 July 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
hopeless
adjective
hope·less ˈhō-pləs
1
: having no hope
He feels hopeless about the future.
2
: offering no hope
The situation looks hopeless.
hopeless
adjective
1
as in incurable
not capable of being cured or reformed a hopeless optimist who looked for the good in everyone and everything was a hopeless romantic who never stopped looking for a soul mate Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- incurable
- incorrigible
- irredeemable
- irreparable
- irremediable
- irreversible
- irretrievable
- unredeemable
- irreformable
- irrecoverable
- unrecoverable
- unrepentant
- unpromising
- uncorrectable
- impenitent
- unreformed
- unencouraging
- unregenerate
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- curable
- recoverable
- remediable
- promising
- redeemable
- reversible
- retrievable
- reformable
- regretful
- encouraging
- reclaimable
- sorry
- repentant
- remorseful
- savable
- rueful
- saveable
- penitent
- salvageable
- fixable
- reparable
- repairable
- rectifiable
- correctable
- salvable
2
as in cynical
emphasizing or expecting the worst the poor woman was feeling hopeless about ever finding her lost cat Synonyms & Similar Words
- cynical
- desperate
- despairing
- pessimistic
- bleak
- defeatist
- depressing
- discouraging
- downbeat
- grim
- negative
- fatalistic
- unlikely
- nihilistic
- bearish
- cheerless
- somber
- nihilist
- unpromising
- morose
- hostile
- disheartening
- sullen
- gloomy
- inauspicious
- dismal
- dreary
- comfortless
- saturnine
- desolate
- sombre
- sepulchral
- funereal
- contrary
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- optimistic
- hopeful
- rosy
- promising
- upbeat
- likely
- bright
- encouraging
- fair
- good
- propitious
- golden
- positive
- heartening
- Pollyannish
- comforting
- reassuring
- Pollyannaish
- favorable
- romantic
- auspicious
- idealist
- utopian
- Pollyanna
- cheerful
- Panglossian
- rose-colored
- visionary
- cheery
- cheering
- sunny
- chipper
3
as in impossible
incapable of being solved or accomplished keeping this desk organized is hopeless Synonyms & Similar Words
- impossible
- futile
- unlikely
- useless
- problematic
- unsolvable
- impractical
- unrealizable
- problematical
- unattainable
- insoluble
- insolvable
- absurd
- undoable
- unworkable
- incredible
- unusable
- impracticable
- dubious
- improbable
- insuperable
- infeasible
- shaky
- questionable
- unfeasible
- doubtful
- ridiculous
- inconceivable
- implausible
- unbelievable
- suspicious
- unthinkable
- unimaginable
- suspect
- disputable
- fishy
- debatable
- far-fetched
- fantastical
- shady
- preposterous
- outlandish
- fantastic
- doubtable
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- possible
- feasible
- workable
- useful
- practical
- achievable
- attainable
- soluble
- reasonable
- probable
- functional
- serviceable
- usable
- realizable
- doable
- practicable
- working
- likely
- applicable
- acceptable
- plausible
- useable
- resolvable
- conceivable
- credible
- believable
4
as in desperate
feeling or showing no hope the hopeless look on the faces of the fans as the other team scored again Synonyms & Similar Words
- desperate
- sad
- unhappy
- despairing
- disappointed
- bleak
- forlorn
- despondent
- depressed
- cynical
- heartbroken
- mournful
- melancholy
- dark
- miserable
- dejected
- depressing
- discouraged
- downhearted
- heartsick
- joyless
- dispirited
- woebegone
- gloomy
- crestfallen
- disconsolate
- glum
- sorrowful
- abject
- accepting
- disheartened
- wretched
- woeful
- downcast
- sorry
- inconsolable
- doleful
- heartsore
- brokenhearted
- resigned
- cheerless
- grieving
- desolate
- hangdog
- saddened
- blue
- pessimistic
- dismal
- weeping
- dreary
- low
- low-spirited
- drear
- comfortless
- wailing
- down
- funereal
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- optimistic
- hopeful
- ecstatic
- euphoric
- exuberant
- exultant
- enraptured
- merry
- jolly
- jovial
- elated
- gay
- exhilarated
- mirthful
- blithe
- cheerful
- happy
- joyful
- joyous
- blissful
- jubilant
- perky
- entranced
- vivacious
- cheery
- encouraged
- glad
- gleeful
- blithesome
- buoyant
- upbeat
- lively
- jocund
- animated
- delighted
- sprightly
- sunny
- lightsome
- jaunty
- heartened
- chipper
- sprightful
- gladsome
- gladdened
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of hopeless are despairing, desperate, and despondent. While all these words mean "having lost all or nearly all hope," hopeless suggests despair and the cessation of effort or resistance and often implies acceptance or resignation.
the situation of the trapped miners is hopeless
The meanings of despairing and hopeless largely overlap; however, despairing suggests the slipping away of all hope and often despondency.
despairing appeals for the return of the kidnapped child
While the synonyms desperate and hopeless are close in meaning, desperate implies despair that prompts reckless action or violence in the face of defeat or frustration.
one last desperate attempt to turn the tide of battle
While in some cases nearly identical to hopeless, despondent implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort.
despondent about yet another rejection