wanhope

C2+ Topic:Emotions & Feelings

US /ˈwɑn.hoʊp/ UK /ˈwɒn.həʊp/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
despair; the absence or failure of hope

The defeated army sank into wanhope as winter closed in.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · despair; the absence or... despair hopelessness desperation despondency

Opposites

hope optimism confidence

Word family

Related forms wan hope wanton

Etymology

From Middle English wanhope, a compound of the Old English privative prefix wan- ('lacking, deficient') and hope.

wan- Old English hopa Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Emotions & Feelings

# wanhope

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈwɑn.hoʊp
**IPA (UK):** ˈwɒn.həʊp

## Meanings
1. despair; the absence or failure of hope

## Examples
- The defeated army sank into wanhope as winter closed in.

## Synonyms
- despair
- hopelessness
- desperation
- despondency

## Antonyms
- hope
- optimism
- confidence

## Related Forms
- wan
- hope
- wanton

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: wan-
- Root: hopa

## Etymology
From Middle English wanhope, a compound of the Old English privative prefix wan- ('lacking, deficient') and hope.

## AI Etymology
Wanhope comes from Middle English wanhope, a compound of the Old English privative prefix wan- ('lacking, deficient') and hope. In current use it is a noun meaning "despair; the absence or failure of hope". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The older privative prefix wan- supplies the idea of lack or deficiency. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The historical chain includes Old English wan- and Old English hopa. Related English forms include wan, hope, and wanton. As a result, the modern word is best read as a negative, privative, or reversative formation built on a historically older base.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings

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wanhope

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