Korean word

절망

Pronunciation

Romanizationcheolmang

Meaning

  • noundespair

Example

일이 잘 안 돼서 절망에 빠졌다.i ri chal an twae seo cheol mang e ppa jeot tta

Because things weren't going well, I fell into despair.

Illustration for 절망 (despair)

More examples

오랜 노력 끝에 그는 마침내 절망에서 벗어났다.o raen no ryeok kkeu se keu neun ma chim nae cheol mang e seo peo seo nat tta

After working hard for a long time, he finally emerged from despair.

Core concept

A feeling of complete hopelessness in which no good outcome seems possible.

Common phrases

  • 절망에서 벗어나다cheol mang e seo peo seo na da

    emerge from despair

  • 절망에 이르다cheol mang e i reu da

    fall into despair

Similar words

실망silmang: A feeling of disappointment caused by a person or result failing to meet hopes.
좌절chwajeol: A loss of courage and drive when an attempt cannot continue or succeed.
낙담nakttam: A downhearted feeling that makes it hard to keep going after disappointment.
체념chenyeom: A feeling of giving up hope of change after accepting that circumstances will remain.

Definition in Korean

희망이나 기대가 완전히 사라져 더 이상 바랄 것이 없다고 느끼는 상태.hi mang i na ki dae ga wan jeon hi sa ra jeo teo i sang pa ral kkeo si eop tta go neu kki neun sang tae

Word origin

This Sino-Korean noun comes from a compound meaning that hope is cut off, combining the ideas of ending and hope.

Usage tips

  • The noun names a state rather than a single bad event, so Korean sentences may focus on how someone enters, remains in, or escapes that state.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word