desperate

[des-per-it, -prit]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR desperate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

reckless or dangerous because of despair, hopelessness, or urgency: a desperate killer.

having an urgent need, desire, etc.: desperate for attention; desperate to find a job.

leaving little or no hope; very serious or dangerous: a desperate illness.

extremely bad; intolerable or shocking: clothes in desperate taste.

extreme or excessive.

making a final, ultimate effort; giving all: a desperate attempt to save a life.

actuated by a feeling of hopelessness.

having no hope; giving in to despair.

noun

Obsolete. a desperado.

Origin of desperate

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin dēspērātus, past participle of dēspērāre to despair; see -ate¹

Related formsdes·per·ate·ly, adverbdes·per·ate·ness, nounqua·si-des·per·ate, adjectivequa·si-des·per·ate·ly, adverb

Can be confuseddesperate disparate

Synonyms for desperate

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR desperate ON THESAURUS.COM

1. rash, frantic. 3. grave. 8. forlorn, desolate.

Synonym study

3. See hopeless.

Antonyms for desperate

1. careful. 3, 8. hopeful.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for desperate

daring, dangerous, bold, violent, determined, frantic, furious, frenzied, great, urgent, terrible, fierce, critical, dire, forlorn, vain, futile, despondent, sad, madcap

Examples from the Web for desperate

Contemporary Examples of desperate

We might have thought The Comeback was about a desperate actress's shameless struggle for fame.
‘The Comeback’ Finale: Give Lisa Kudrow All of the Awards
Kevin Fallon
December 29, 2014
Brinsley got out of jail last July, and was desperate and aimless.
Alleged Cop Killer Ismaaiyl Brinsley Had a Death Wish
M.L. Nestel
December 22, 2014
After what seemed a desperate eternity, a doctor shook his head.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops
Michael Daly
December 22, 2014
Sam watches her fall apart, tear herself apart and is desperate.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook
Tim Teeman
December 19, 2014
He and Jessen convinced a stunned and desperate CIA that they were the ones to run a new interrogation program.
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built
Michael Daly
December 12, 2014

Historical Examples of desperate

He turned and began to run homewards, like a hunted man in desperate flight.
Viviette
William J. Locke
Desperate hope in another man's God may do something for us, but it cannot do much.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
In this desperate situation he determined to send a written despatch to Athens.
Stories from Thucydides
H. L. Havell
It may be, however, that matters are not so desperate as they appear.
Main Street
Nathaniel Hawthorne
"You're a desperate fellow," she said, half scared, and she laughed a little.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine

British Dictionary definitions for desperate

desperate

adjective

careless of danger, as from despair; utterly reckless

(of an act) reckless; risky

used or undertaken in desperation or as a last resortdesperate measures

critical; very gravein desperate need

(often postpositive and foll by for) in distress and having a great need or desire

moved by or showing despair or hopelessness; despairing

Derived Formsdesperately, adverbdesperateness, noun

Word Origin for desperate

C15: from Latin dēspērāre to have no hope; see despair

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for desperate

adj.

early 15c., "despairing, hopeless," from Latin desperatus "given up, despaired of," past participle of desperare (see despair (v.)). Sense of "driven to recklessness" is from late 15c.; weakened sense of "having a great desire for" is from 1950s. Related: Desperately.