Hopelessness (7)

I believe the answer is:

despair

'hopelessness' is the definition.
(despair is a kind of hopelessness)

This is all the clue.

(Other definitions for despair that I've seen before include "Be without hope" , "Give up hope" , "First appearance" , "Smashed up" , "Abandon hope" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph, The Irish Independent, The Star Tribune, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Mirror, the Evening Standard and The Sun.

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