Despairing means feeling or showing a complete loss of hope. When someone is despairing, they believe that nothing will get better and that all their efforts are pointless. A student might feel despairing after failing several tests in a row, convinced they'll never understand the material. A lost hiker might grow despairing as darkness falls and rescue seems impossible.

The word comes from despair, which is that heavy, sinking feeling when hope disappears entirely. Despairing is more intense than just being sad or disappointed. You might be disappointed when your team loses a game, but you'd only be despairing if you believed your team would lose every game forever and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

People sometimes use despairing to describe sounds or expressions that show this hopelessness: a despairing cry for help, a despairing look in someone's eyes, or a despairing tone of voice. These are the outward signs of someone who has stopped believing things can improve.