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
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.
“Mono,” mostly the singer and shrieking strings, brings to mind David Bowie in late-’70s art-rock mode, while on “Easy Street” Mr. Homme channels the wailing desperation of Bryan Ferry over a droning guitar solo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
There are also archival pictures of some asylum inmates, their desperation almost palpable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Livingston, playing a cold workaholic, seems generally perturbed to be there, while Bilson’s Julie, desperate to make her family whole again, also has an air of desperation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
In a move reeking of desperation, Ramaswamy’s campaign ran a spot featuring Acton’s elderly mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter a “liar” and suggesting she suffers from severe mental illness.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
Regan turned to me then, and I could tell from the desperation on her face that she was out of ideas.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
