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despondently

Adverb
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

In a sorrowful, hopeless, or discouraged manner, revealing a collapse of morale or confidence; in verse, such adverbs modify tones of elegy, melancholy, and the desolate aftermath of loss or defeat.

Detailed Definition
Despondently describes a state of being downcast or in low spirits, often due to a sense of hopelessness. In the context of the poem, it conveys the bleakness and despair felt by the housemaids, emphasizing their emotional state as they navigate their daily lives amidst the dreary environment.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The housemaids were sprouting despondently at area gates” uses despondently for acting without hope; The adverb colors an action with discouragement rather than merely sadness; “He walked despondently past the closed factory” joins mood to economic loss; “Despondently, she refreshed the emergency page” gives the word a contemporary digital setting
Additional Notes
Despondently is not a commonly used adverb in everyday language, making it likely to be unfamiliar to many readers.; Found in the poem, Morning at the Window by T. S. Eliot
Also Known As
Despairingly Hopelessly Dejectedly
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