Utterly hopeless (6)
I believe the answer is:
abject
'utterly hopeless' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for abject that I've seen before include "'Grovelling, apology say (6)'" , "Lacking all pride, like a humble apology" , "feeble" , "Down-hearted" , "Extreme, poverty say" .)