desperation

noun des·per·a·tion \ ˌdes-pə-ˈrā-shən \

Definition of desperation

1 :loss of hope and surrender to despair

2 :a state of hopelessness leading to rashness

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Examples of desperation in a Sentence

She felt overcome by desperation.
the desperation of severe poverty
They hired me out of desperation, because they couldn't get anyone else.
Finally, in desperation, he tried to flee the country.

Recent Examples of desperation from the Web

The advocates of speech restrictions will grow disenchanted not with their failures, but with their victories, and the movement will come to seem yet another curious byway in the long history of our racial desperation.

— conor friedersdorf, The Atlantic, "The Most Shortsighted Attack on Free Speech in Modern U.S. History," 23 Aug. 2017
So his decision seems to defy logic, or at least to underscore his desperation.

— jeff maysh, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Cop Who Became a Robber," 22 Aug. 2017
Ivanka Trump and Kushner’s willingness to defer to Kelly was due in part to their desperation to see his predecessor, Reince Priebus, ousted expeditiously.

— isobel thompson, vanityfair.com, "Will Trumpworld Consume John Kelly?," 4 Aug. 2017
Ivanka Trump and Kushner’s willingness to defer to Kelly was due in part to their desperation to see his predecessor, Reince Priebus, ousted expeditiously.

— isobel thompson, The Hive, "Will Trumpworld Consume John Kelly?," 4 Aug. 2017
Sensing the desperation in my voice over the phone, my son-in-law stopped by and suggested starting over in a way that should have eliminated the problem.

— tim woodward, idahostatesman, "Home improvement project got you down? Cheer up. This one was probably worse.," 14 July 2017
Lighty said that the rallies reflect Californians’ desperation and fear about losing health coverage under Republican proposals to repeal Obamacare more than anything else.

— pauline bartolone, Kaiser Health News, "The Union That Roars: Nurses Aren’t Giving Up On California’s Single-Payer Push," 11 July 2017
The men's ingenuity was as great as their desperation to escape from Alcatraz, now one of America's most popular tourist attractions.

— CBS News, "55 years later, Alcatraz prison escape remains a mystery," 2 July 2017
Wealthy women could potentially fly to a country where abortion was legal, but poor and young women were faced with unimaginable fear, desperation, and judgment.

— cindy crabb, Teen Vogue, "How Jane Helped 11,000 Women Get Abortions When The Procedure Was Outlawed," 1 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'desperation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.