desperation

noun

des·​per·​a·​tion ˌde-spə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: loss of hope and surrender to despair

2

: a state of hopelessness leading to rashness

In desperation, he fled.

Synonyms of desperation

• despair
• sadness
• hopelessness

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 on the Web

Harris’s enthusiasm for Noelle to perform as Clara has curdled into desperation, and so many suffer as a result. —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025

As Florida socialite Jackie Siegel, the Tony winner opened the show with a glossy, glam promise and then — echoing Siegel’s still-unfinished 90,000-square-foot mansion — let the cracks surface, exposing the desperation, ambition and heartbreak under all that shine. —Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025

What follows is a darkly humorous, uncomfortably relatable tale of modern worker desperation. —Kayti Burt, Time, 18 Dec. 2025

Well, just about everyone on the Dolphins roster should be filled with the same kind of desperation since Tagovailoa’s demotion is likely the end of an era. —Miami Herald, 17 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English disperacioun, desperacioun, borrowed from Anglo-French desperaciun, borrowed from Latin dēspērātiōn-, dēspērātiō, from dēspērāre "to give up as hopeless, despair of" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at despair entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for desperation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

desperation

noun

des·​per·​a·​tion ˌdes-pə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: a loss of hope and surrender to misery or dread

2

: a state of hopelessness leading to extreme recklessness