the.com/despondent
the gray weight of a hope that's stopped fighting back.
means Feeling a deep, sinking loss of hope or spirit, as if discouragement has settled in to stay.
from From Latin despondere, "to give up, promise away, abandon" — built from de- ("away") and spondere ("to pledge, promise"), the same root that gives us "spouse" and "respond." The literal sense was to pledge something away or surrender it; over time the surrender became internal — not giving away an object, but giving up your own hope.
- latin root
- from despondere, to give up or promise away
- surrender baked in
- same root as despair, abandoning the contract with tomorrow
- betrothal twist
- despondere also meant to pledge a bride
- heavier than sad
- implies the spirit has quit, not merely dipped
for instance
eeyore — a.a. milne's donkey character from winnie the pooh, perpetually gloomy and pessimistic
marvin the robot — douglas adams' android in the hitchhiker's guide, famously depressed with 50,000 years of boredom