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Meaning & use

hopeless

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈhəʊpləs/
US/ˈhoʊpləs/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Giving no reason to expect that things will improve or succeed.

    Grammar: Describes a situation: a hopeless case.

    Patterns

    • a hopeless situation
    • hopeless to do something

    The rescuers feared the search was hopeless.

    It seemed hopeless to argue with the committee.

    The flooded field made the harvest look hopeless.

  2. adjectivecomparable

    Feeling that nothing can be done to improve one's situation.

    Grammar: Describes how a person feels: she felt hopeless.

    Patterns

    • feel hopeless about something

    He felt hopeless after losing his job.

    The patients grew hopeless as the winter dragged on.

    She wore a hopeless expression.

  3. adjectiveafter a verbinformalBritish

    Extremely bad at doing something.

    Grammar: Usually followed by at: hopeless at math.

    Patterns

    • hopeless at something

    I'm hopeless at remembering names.

    My brother is hopeless at cooking.

    She's hopeless with directions.

Word forms

comparativemore hopeless
superlativemost hopeless

Common combinations

hopeless at
He is hopeless at keeping secrets.
hopeless case
The doctor refused to call it a hopeless case.
feel hopeless
Some days I feel hopeless.
hopeless situation
They faced a hopeless situation.
hopeless romantic
She's a hopeless romantic who loves old films.

Synonyms and how they differ

desperate
Desperate suggests urgent effort driven by lack of hope, while hopeless means hope has gone.
futile
Futile describes an effort that will have no result, not a feeling.
despairing
Despairing describes a person's emotion and is more intense.
useless
Useless is blunter and used for things or people with no value.

Opposites

hopefulpromising

Word family

hope noun
a wish with expectation
hopelessly adverb
in a way that offers no hope
hopelessness noun
a feeling of no hope
hopeful adjective
expecting good things

Commonly confused: hopeless or helpless?

hopeless vs helpless

Helpless means unable to help yourself, while hopeless means without hope.

Practice

I'm completely ___ at singing, so I just listen.

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