despair、desperation、depression与disappointment这些名词都有“绝望、沮丧”之意。
despair : 普通用词，指因灾难等因素而丧失希望和信心，陷入沮丧，绝望的境地。
- a mood/sense of despair
绝望的情绪／感觉 - To her teacher's despair, Nicole never does the work that she's told to do.
妮科尔从不做作业，让她的老师感到非常失望。
desperation : 语气强烈，指因绝望而使人采取无所顾忌的疯狂行动。
- There was a note of desperation in his voice.
他的声音里透出破釜沉舟的决心。 - In desperation, they jumped out of the window to escape the fire.
情急之下，他们跳出窗户躲避大火。
depression : 侧重指因遭受重大失利或挫折而产生的低落情绪。
- I was overwhelmed by feelings of depression.
我万念俱灰。 - I slid into a depression and became morbidly fascinated with death.
我陷入消沉，开始对死亡有种病态的迷恋。
disappointment : 多指愿望或期望的落空。
- Get tickets early to avoid disappointment.
早点预订以免扑空。 - Book early for the show to avoid disappointment.
欲看演出，从速订票，以免失望。
