desperate

adjective

des·​per·​ate ˈde-sp(ə-)rət 

-spərt

1

a

: having lost hope

a desperate spirit crying for relief

b

: giving no ground for hope

Their financial outlook was desperate.

2

a

: moved by despair or utter loss of hope

victims made desperate by lack of any sign of rescue

b

: involving or employing extreme measures in an attempt to escape defeat or frustration

made a desperate leap for the rope

3

: suffering extreme need or anxiety

desperate for money

desperate to prove she was innocent

celebrities desperate for attention

4

: involving extreme danger or possible disaster

a desperate situation

5

: of extreme intensity

a desperate shortage of supplies

6

: shocking, outrageous

desperateness noun

Synonyms of desperate

• hopeless
• unhappy
• sad
• disappointed
• despairing
• cynical
• despondent
• heartbroken
• bleak
• depressed

Choose the Right Synonym for desperate

despondent, despairing, desperate, hopeless mean having lost all or nearly all hope.

despondent implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort.

despondent about yet another rejection

despairing suggests the slipping away of all hope and often despondency.

despairing appeals for the return of the kidnapped child

desperate implies despair that prompts reckless action or violence in the face of defeat or frustration.

one last desperate attempt to turn the tide of battle

hopeless suggests despair and the cessation of effort or resistance and often implies acceptance or resignation.

the situation of the trapped miners is hopeless

Examples of desperate in a Sentence

The collapse of her business had made her desperate.

As the supply of food ran out, people became desperate.

We could hear their desperate cries for help.

a desperate struggle to defeat the enemy

He made a desperate bid to save his job.

They made one last desperate attempt to fight their way out.

Recent Examples on the Web

To say the Mets are in desperate need of an offensive spark might be an understatement. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026

The two men engaged in a desperate grappling match until the backpack finally gave way. —Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026

Aida, receiving word that her sons – who were taken by Serbian forces — may be alive and held in a camp, launches a desperate search through a refugee center crowded with thousands of displaced women. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026

But a 2021 set at a notorious homeless encampment in Oakland earned backlash from advocates, who said the band was taking advantage of desperate people to throw aesthetically nihilistic punk shows. —Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English desperat, borrowed from Latin dēspērātus, past participle of dēspērāre "to give up as hopeless, despair of" — more at despair entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

desperate

adjective

des·​per·​ate ˈdes-p(ə-)rət 

1

: being beyond or almost beyond hope

a desperate illness

2

: reckless because of despair : rash

a desperate attempt

desperately adverb

desperateness noun