dealing with despair

USAGE SUMMARY

"dealing with despair" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it in contexts discussing emotional struggles or coping mechanisms. Example: "She found herself dealing with despair after the loss of her job." Alternative expressions include "coping with hopelessness" and "struggling with despair."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

"That you're always dealing with despair, sadness, injury, things that are really quite troubling.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Somehow, when not dealing with despairing junior doctors, he's found the time to devise a simple solution to end them all.

The Guardian - Opinion

This is a man who found help that worked for him in dealing with traumas and despair.

The New York Times

After Jeff's death, Gilman seems to have dealt with his despair by throwing himself into his job.

The New Yorker

It brought a new intensity to the old adage that one can deal with the despair, it's the hope that kills you.

The Guardian - Sport

He has no idea what has happened to his Paris theatre, a handsome building opened with his latest paly, "Elvire," which dealt with the despair of refugees from Hitlerism.

The New Yorker

To them a unit that offers over 400 children heart surgeries a year would be better closed, and the parents of these children, who already have to deal with the despair of having a very ill child, would be better off travelling for hundreds of miles to the nearest units, in Newcastle, Birmingham or Liverpool.

Independent

This novel deals with the despair of young people.

Johns Hopkins University

The woman asked the master for suggestions on how to deal with her despair.

Huffington Post

For myself, I deal with potential despair by finding ways to act.

Huffington Post

Like us all I have copious tales of despair dealing with corporate giants.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Pair the phrase with specific adjectives like 'quiet', 'pervasive' or 'sudden' to give the reader a clearer sense of the emotion's character.

Common error

Do not use "dealing with despair" to describe minor inconveniences or light disappointments. Despair implies a complete loss of hope, and using it lightly can diminish the impact of your writing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "dealing with despair" functions as a gerund phrase where 'dealing' acts as a noun derived from a verb, followed by a prepositional phrase 'with despair'. According to Ludwig, this structure allows the phrase to occupy the position of a subject or a direct object in a sentence, making it highly versatile for describing emotional states.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Science

15%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Wiki

6%

Social Media

3%

Formal & Business

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "dealing with despair" is a powerful and grammatically correct expression used to describe the process of managing extreme hopelessness. While the exact gerund form appears less frequently than the root verb 'deal with despair' in the data, it is a staple of high-quality English prose. Ludwig AI reveals that the phrase is most common in News & Media and Science, specifically within psychiatry and social reporting. When using this phrase, ensure the context warrants such a strong emotional descriptor. If you are looking for less intense alternatives, consider "managing sadness", but for profound contexts, "dealing with despair" remains the most evocative choice.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

coping with hopelessness

Focuses more on the adaptive mechanisms used to survive a lack of hope.

grappling with anguish

Suggests a more active or physical struggle with intense mental pain.

struggling with despondency

Uses a more formal synonym for despair that emphasizes a loss of courage.

managing profound sadness

Softens the intensity by using a more clinical or moderated descriptor.

enduring intense sorrow

Emphasizes the passive act of lasting through the pain over time.

weathering the storm of despair

A metaphorical expression suggesting endurance through a difficult period.

navigating emotional darkness

Employs a metaphor to describe the process of finding one's way through trauma.

confronting deep misery

Implies a direct face-to-face encounter with suffering.

facing existential dread

Specific to a philosophical or deep-seated anxiety about existence.

handling total defeat

Shifts the focus from the internal emotion to the external cause of the despair.

FAQs

How do I use "dealing with despair" in a sentence?

You can use it as a subject or an object, for example: ""dealing with despair" is a heavy burden for anyone to carry" or "He found solace in art while "dealing with despair"."

What is a more professional way to say "dealing with despair"?

In a clinical or formal context, you might use "managing psychological distress" or "coping with severe depression".

Can I say "dealing with a despair"?

No, despair is typically an uncountable noun in this context. Use "dealing with despair" or "dealing with a sense of despair" instead.

Is "dealing with despair" different from "feeling despair"?

Yes. While "feeling despair" describes the emotion itself, "dealing with despair" implies an active effort to process, manage or overcome that emotion.