Despondency
Etymology
From Latin “despondere,” to give up or promise away, from “de-” (away) and “spondere,” to pledge — as in “despondere animam,” to surrender the spirit. To be despondent is, at root, to have pledged away one’s hope, and despondency names that hope handed over.
noun · /dih-SPON-duhn-see/
A state of low spirits caused by loss of hope or courage.
What it names
The sunk, defeated heaviness of having given up — when effort feels pointless because nothing seems likely to improve.
Example
After the third rejection a deep despondency set in, and he stopped sending the manuscript out at all.
Related idea
A sharp bout of despair is acute and often momentary; despondency is duller and more settled, the flattened, hopeless mood that lingers once despair has cooled.