Question

: Choose the word opposite in meaning to the given word-
Despair
a) Belief
b) Trust
c) Hope
d) Faith

Answer 1

Hint: Despair refers to feelings of hopelessness, absence of happiness, and the lack of the ability to dream.

Complete step-by-step answer:

The word Despair has been derived from the Latin word- Desperare, which refers to losing hope.
Example- The poor children spent their morning in despair. Here, we can conclude that the poor children were quite unhappy and hopeless in the morning.
Now, let’s examine the given options and find the opposite of despair-
a) Belief- It means to have faith and trust in someone or something. It has a different meaning from despair. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Example- He holds strong religious beliefs.
b) Trust- It means to have confidence or faith in someone or something. Both trust and despair have different meanings. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Example- She has complete trust in her friend.
c) Hope- It means to dream and aspire for something to happen. Hope is the opposite of despair. Hence, it is the correct option.
Example- He’s hoping to get full marks in the test.
d) Faith- It means to have complete belief or trust in someone or something. It has a different meaning from despair. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Example- I have uttermost faith in the law.

Note: Despair is used in a negative sense, whereas Hope is used in the positive sense. Belief, trust, and faith hold the same meanings, hence they are synonyms of each other.