The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word DESPAIR
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
D
E
S
P
A
I
R
More clues leading to the result DESPAIR
- Misery caused by spinning of a spider
- Lose heart, as pride injured
- Does loveless couple give up hope?
- Misery guts in tiresome couple supporting daughter
- Give up, man, and get married!
- Anguish of the Gascon duo
- Misery of endless want keeping the old man in
- Lose hope as pride shattered
- Old man in need mostly, give up
- Having no hope of fixing 24
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Having no hope" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case having no hope = despair.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does DESPAIR mean?
DESPAIR noun- Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency.
- That which causes despair.
- That which is despaired of.
- To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.
- To cause to despair.
- (often with “of”) To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation.