絶望感(ぜつぼうかん)

ぜつぼうかん
noun
sense of despair; feeling of hopelessness
emotion
1. sense of despair; feeling of hopelessness
The subjective feeling or emotional experience of despair. Adds the nuance of a felt sensation to the concept of despair (絶望), emphasizing the emotional weight.
深(ふか)い絶望感(ぜつぼうかん)に襲(おそ)われた。
I was overcome by a deep sense of despair.
何(なに)をしても無駄(むだ)だという絶望感(ぜつぼうかん)が広(ひろ)がった。
A feeling of hopelessness spread — a sense that nothing would work.
試合(しあい)終了(しゅうりょう)間際(まぎわ)に逆転(ぎゃくてん)されて、絶望感(ぜつぼうかん)に包(つつ)まれた。
The opposing team scored a comeback just before the end of the game, and we were enveloped in despair.

Usage

A compound of 絶望(ぜつぼう) (despair) + 感(かん) (feeling, sense). The suffix 感(かん) turns the abstract concept of despair into a word for the subjective emotional experience. This pattern is productive in Japanese: 孤独感(こどくかん) (sense of loneliness), 達成感(たっせいかん) (sense of achievement), etc.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 絶望(ぜつぼう): despair — the state or concept itself, without the emphasis on felt sensation
  • 失望感(しつぼうかん): sense of disappointment — less intense than 絶望感(ぜつぼうかん)

Related Words

Related: 絶望(ぜつぼう) (despair (base word))
general
Added 2026.3.19 13:03 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
17500/17802_zetsuboukan