desperation
Americannoun
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the state of being desperate or of having the recklessness of despair.
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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
Related Words
See despair.
Etymology
Origin of desperation
1325–75; Middle English desperacioun < Latin dēspērātiōn- (stem of dēspērātiō ). See desperate, -ion
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.
Holly Dagres, an Iran specialist at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank told the BBC that the use of children at security checkpoints "underscores the desperation of the Islamic Republic".
From BBC
“Sorry,” I say, as I fumble around in the depths of my bag, missing it multiple times in my desperation to turn it off while it keeps screaming its obnoxious announcement.
From Literature
But if he’d perceived Clare’s desperation, if on some deep, subconscious level he’d felt the truth—that this mushroom was a living thing, precious to another soul—it did not change the boy’s intent.
From Literature
Some lines may be familiar: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”; “Our life is frittered away by detail ... simplify, simplify!”
From Los Angeles Times
It turns the world into a carnival of danger and desperation.
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.
