hopeless

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
13
Words With Friends
14
Letters
8
Pronunciation
/ˈhəʊplɪs/
See all 2 pronunciations
/ˈhəʊplɪs/ · /ˈhoʊplɪs/

Definition of hopeless

4 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

adj

  1. Without hope; despairing; not expecting anything positive.
    “I am a woman, friendless, hopeless.”
    “And he a prince; To marry him is hopeleſſe;”
    “Edward Churchill still attended to his work in a hopeless mechanical manner like a sleep-walker who walks safely on a well-known round. But his Roman collar galled him, his cossack stifled him, his biretta was as uncomfortable as a merry-andrew's cap and bells.”
    “A gaoler struck him, pushing him back in place in the hopeless, helpless line of prisoners.”
See all 4 definitions

adj

  1. Without hope; despairing; not expecting anything positive.
    “I am a woman, friendless, hopeless.”
    “And he a prince; To marry him is hopeleſſe;”
    “Edward Churchill still attended to his work in a hopeless mechanical manner like a sleep-walker who walks safely on a well-known round. But his Roman collar galled him, his cossack stifled him, his biretta was as uncomfortable as a merry-andrew's cap and bells.”
    “A gaoler struck him, pushing him back in place in the hopeless, helpless line of prisoners.”
  2. Giving no ground of hope; promising nothing desirable; desperate.
    “My mind is a camera / Camela mon camela ambra / It brings into focus / The dreams of kings / And even the hopeless”
  3. Without talent, not skilled.
    “He's a hopeless writer, but can draw very well.”
    “" It is a pure waste of time." "Not at all," Malone answered. "It has ventilated an evil. There were reporters in court. Surely some of them have some sense. They will note the injustice." "Not they," said Mailey. "The Press is hopeless. My God, what a responsibility these people take on themselves, and how little they guess the price that each will pay! I know."”
  4. (figuratively)Of an adverse condition, incurable.
    “She is a hopeless romantic.”
    “He is a hopeless idler.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *tōhopōnder. Old English tōhopa Old English hopa Middle English hope English hope Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English hopeless From hope + -less. Compare Swedish hopplös.

Words you can make from hopeless

140 playable · top: SHLEPS (11 pts)

Best play shleps 11 points

6-letter words

8 words

5-letter words

33 words

4-letter words

53 words

3-letter words

31 words

2-letter words

14 words

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