desperation

[des-puh-rey-shuh n]

See more synonyms for desperation on Thesaurus.com

noun

the state of being desperate or of having the recklessness of despair.
the act or fact of despairing; despair.

Origin of desperation

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

Synonym study

1. See despair.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for desperation

Contemporary Examples

Stories of war, death, fear and desperation do not have happy endings.
Inside the Smuggling Networks Flooding Europe with Refugees
Barbie Latza Nadeau
December 15, 2014
What does our desperation to get a nuclear deal at all costs say to the modern-day Iranian Solzhenitsyns rotting in Evin prison?
Iran’s Horrific Human-Rights Record
Sen. Mark Kirk, Sen. Marco Rubio
November 7, 2014
They were shouting with a mixture of fury and desperation about their families in Kobani, under siege just across the line.
When ISIS Is An Excuse For A Police State
Jamie Dettmer
October 18, 2014
Perhaps, instead, they had reached a desperation we can't quite fathom.
The Fear That Killed Eight Ebola Workers
Abby Haglage
September 20, 2014
They allowed us to capture the complicated relationship between poverty and family bonds, between community pride and desperation.
Filming a Beautiful Town in Decay: ‘Rich Hill’ and the Elusive American Dream
Tracy Droz Tragos
July 27, 2014

Historical Examples

But, nerved as he was by desperation, he found the task greater than he could compass.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
At last in desperation you embody it in a poem, an essay, a story.
Ballads of a Bohemian
Robert W. Service
Burke inquired in desperation before the plaintive outburst.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Her desperation lent her invention; just in this one way he must not find her out.
Quaint Courtships
Various
Perhaps in desperation you may assume the role of cook yourself.
A Woman Tenderfoot
Grace Gallatin Seton-Thompson

British Dictionary definitions for desperation

desperation

noun

desperate recklessness
the act of despairing or the state of being desperate

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 desperation

n.

mid-14c., from Middle French désperation or directly from Latin desperationem (nominative desperatio) "despair, hopelessness," noun of action from past participle stem of desperare "lose hope" (see despair (v.)).

desperation

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}desperation

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for desperation

Contemporary Examples

Stories of war, death, fear and desperation do not have happy endings.

What does our desperation to get a nuclear deal at all costs say to the modern-day Iranian Solzhenitsyns rotting in Evin prison?

They were shouting with a mixture of fury and desperation about their families in Kobani, under siege just across the line.

Perhaps, instead, they had reached a desperation we can't quite fathom.

They allowed us to capture the complicated relationship between poverty and family bonds, between community pride and desperation.

Historical Examples

But, nerved as he was by desperation, he found the task greater than he could compass.

At last in desperation you embody it in a poem, an essay, a story.

Burke inquired in desperation before the plaintive outburst.

Her desperation lent her invention; just in this one way he must not find her out.

Perhaps in desperation you may assume the role of cook yourself.

desperation

Word Origin and History for desperation

n.

Origin of desperation