desperation
Americannoun
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the state of being desperate or of having the recklessness of despair.
-
the act or fact of despairing; despair.
noun
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desperate recklessness
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the act of despairing or the state of being desperate
Synonym Usage
See despair.
Etymology
Origin of desperation
1325–75; Middle English desperacioun < Latin dēspērātiōn- (stem of dēspērātiō ). See desperate, -ion
Explanation
Desperation is a hopeless state. If you learned that your friend had sold her beloved shoe collection, you'd know she did it out of desperation. When you've lost hope or have run out of possible solutions to a problem, you're experiencing desperation. The word implies a reckless kind of frustration. For example, a person who hasn't eaten in three days might steal food out of desperation. The origin of the word traces back to the Latin desperare, "to lose all hope," which is formed from the prefix de-, "without," added to sperare, "hope."
Vocabulary lists containing desperation
Where the Red Fern Grows
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Stargirl
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Baseball in April
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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.
Many have waded across a river to return in desperation, although the scale of the exodus remains unclear.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
Massie condemned the ad in a social media post: “It reeks of desperation, but they’re hoping the older generation won’t realize it’s an AI generated lie.”
From Salon • May 24, 2026
The catalyst for Jonathan Glatzer to create “The Audacity,” AMC’s dark satire of Silicon Valley that takes aim at the desperation that plagues it, began as a father witnessing his teenage son’s relationship with tech.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
It’s a sign of Apple’s desperation that he was then able to execute a reverse takeover that ended with him firing most of its board, naming his own board, and then being named interim CEO.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
He must have heard desperation in my voice.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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.
