desperation

[des-puh-rey-shuhn]

noun

1. the state of being desperate or of having the recklessness of despair.

2. the act or fact of despairing; despair.

desperation

/ ˌdɛspəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. desperate recklessness

2. the act of despairing or the state of being desperate

Word History and Origins

Origin of desperation¹

1325–75; Middle English desperacioun < Latin dēspērātiōn- (stem of dēspērātiō ). See desperate, -ion

Synonym Study

See despair.

Example Sentences

Mr. Leguizamo eases up on the ferociously funny clowning at which he is so expert to emphasize Nelson’s frantic desperation to avoid having to admit he has failed his family, numbing his anxieties with booze.

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Our critic said “At his best, Mr. Greengrass deploys his frequently used facility for establishing a documentary feel . . . to re-create the overwhelming desperation.”

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He said the closing of clothing plants in the nation’s northeast would worsen economic desperation because each garment job supports several family members.

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“Urchin” is a challenging film, hovering between hope and desperation.

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She finds only cold indifference, which, again, could be more a product of her own sense of alienation and desperation.

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Related Words

• agony 
• anguish 
• anxiety 
• desolation 
• despair 
• discomfort 
• fear 
• gloom 
• grief 
• heartache 
• melancholy 
• misery 
• pain 
• sorrow 
• unhappiness www.thesaurus.com