hopeless
UK: ˈhəʊpləs | US: ˈhoʊpləs
adj. without hope; despairing
adj. incapable of improvement or success
The word "hopeless" combines the Old English root "hopa" (meaning "hope," derived from Proto-Germanic *hupō) with the suffix "-less," which originates from Old English "-lēas" (meaning "without"). The suffix "-less" is a productive morpheme in English, often added to nouns to form adjectives indicating absence (e.g., "fearless," "endless"). The compound "hopeless" emerged in Middle English (circa 1300s) to describe a state of despair or futility, retaining its logical structure over time.
After failing the exam twice, she felt hopeless about her future.
The doctor declared the patient's condition hopeless.
His hopeless attempts to fix the old car only wasted more time.
The team was in a hopeless situation, trailing by ten points.
She gave him a hopeless shrug when asked for solutions.