as in despair
utter loss of hope
during the famine her desperation drove her to do things she wouldn't have normally considered
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desperation
But when his past behavior costs him yet another opportunity, Russ’ desperation hits a new peak.
—
Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2025
At some point desperation will set in, but for now the Miami Dolphins are seemingly staying composed despite getting off to a nightmarish 0-3 start this season.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
How Oakland clinched its first championship fit their story of a franchise born out of desperation.
—Devin Bradshaw, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
His desperation leads him to seek help from his estranged little brother.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desperation
Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2025
At some point desperation will set in, but for now the Miami Dolphins are seemingly staying composed despite getting off to a nightmarish 0-3 start this season.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
How Oakland clinched its first championship fit their story of a franchise born out of desperation.
—Devin Bradshaw, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
His desperation leads him to seek help from his estranged little brother.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desperation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperation
Noun
-
Advertisement The contrast was on display in the session’s opening moments, when Annalena Baerbock, the General Assembly’s president, urged delegates not to give in to despair about the institution’s shortcomings.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
-
But hope is essential to fighting off despair and maintaining the ability to act.—
Robert Pearlman,
ArsTechnica,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In scene after scene, my mother’s work showed her nuanced perceptions about human behavior and her generous, big hearted embrace of folly and foible, and, yes, sadness, too.—
Marisa Silver
September 23,
Literary Hub,
23 Sep. 2025
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Fear and sadness are both core emotions.—
Juli Fraga,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
At New York Fashion Week, beauty acted as a moment of reprise from the hopelessness many are feeling in the current state of the world.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The film certainly steers clear of Emmerichian overdrive, but it is suffused with hopelessness — on both an intimate and an epic scale.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desperation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperation. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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