dih-SPON-dent
(adjective) In low spirits from loss of hope or confidence.
After weeks of job rejections, he grew increasingly despondent.
Fun Fact
From Latin despondere (“to give up”), “despondent” reflects emotional surrender—more serious than mere sadness. It’s often used to describe periods of grief, depression, or deep discouragement. In literature, despondent characters often face turning points that test their resilience.
prag-MAT-ik
(adjective) focused on practical results and real-world consequences rather than ideals, theories, or abstract principles.
Instead of arguing over perfect solutions, she took a pragmatic approach and fixed what could be done immediately.
Pragmatic traces back to the Greek word pragmatikos, meaning “relating to deeds or actions,” from pragma (“thing done” or “action”). It entered English in the late 16th century, originally referring to people skilled in managing practical affairs, before evolving into its modern meaning of valuing usefulness and outcomes over theory.
Fun Fact
In philosophy, pragmatism became a major movement in the late 1800s, arguing that ideas should be judged by how well they work in real life—not by whether they sound good in theory. That mindset still shapes modern problem-solving, from business decisions to software design, where a “good enough” solution that works today often beats a perfect one that never ships.
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