desperate
Americanadjective
-
reckless or dangerous because of despair, hopelessness, or urgency.
a desperate killer.
- Antonyms:
- careful
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- grave
- Antonyms:
- hopeful
-
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.
- Antonyms:
- hopeful
noun
adjective
-
careless of danger, as from despair; utterly reckless
-
(of an act) reckless; risky
-
used or undertaken in desperation or as a last resort
desperate measures
-
critical; very grave
in desperate need
-
in distress and having a great need or desire
-
moved by or showing despair or hopelessness; despairing
Synonym Usage
See hopeless.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of desperate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin dēspērātus, past participle of dēspērāre “to be without hope, despair”; see despair, -ate 1
Explanation
Desperate means "having lost all hope." If you are desperate for food, it means you are starving, possibly about to die. If you are in a desperate situation, it means things are really, really bad. Desperate, desparate, or despirate? The word desperate is misspelled often enough that it's the despair of English teachers. Both desperate and despair come from the same Latin verb as despair. Don't mix it up with disparate, a totally different word that means "distinctive, different, various."
Vocabulary lists containing desperate
List 8
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"Sorry, Wrong Number," Vocabulary from the play
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Desperate for answers, he entered his symptoms online.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
Desperate for a better life for his family, Dalip borrowed money and enrolled himself in a maritime training programme, and secured a job on a merchant ship.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
Desperate, the mother reached out to what she thought was a Catholic Charities Facebook page.
From Salon • May 2, 2026
Desperate attempts were made to rescue them, but only Rioghnach could be saved; the others died after their Audi Q7 entered the water.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
Desperate to learn more, the CIA turned to one of the most expensive pieces of equipment they had ever built.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
