as in hopeless
feeling or showing no hope
desperate cancer patients who are vulnerable to the claims of unscrupulous quacks
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desperate
The extended deep freeze has left some people increasingly desperate in a region unaccustomed to and ill-equipped for such cold.
—
Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
The victims, all elementary school students, got into difficulty in a frozen pond in Bonham, a city about 60 miles northeast of Dallas, triggering a desperate effort by their mother and a neighbor to save them, FOX 4 reported.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
But the Warriors, driven by the merciless ticking clock of Curry’s career, are desperate.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Among the prosecutions of protesters, perhaps the strangest story involves a desperate quest by DOJ to bring criminal charges against the former CNN news personality Don Lemon.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desperate
Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
The victims, all elementary school students, got into difficulty in a frozen pond in Bonham, a city about 60 miles northeast of Dallas, triggering a desperate effort by their mother and a neighbor to save them, FOX 4 reported.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
But the Warriors, driven by the merciless ticking clock of Curry’s career, are desperate.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Among the prosecutions of protesters, perhaps the strangest story involves a desperate quest by DOJ to bring criminal charges against the former CNN news personality Don Lemon.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desperate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperate
Adjective
-
Near the end of the movie, there’s a heavy sense of dread—everyone feels hopeless, and exhausted.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Here is the regular guy who loves shooting hoops, who is hopeless with a hammer, who loves a self-deprecating story about walking into a glass wall or almost falling off a ladder, and whose wife, Lori, is always, always right.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Domingo Morel, a professor at New York University who studies state takeovers of local schools, said most local residents wind up unhappy with the methods used by state interventionists and the results.—
Bri Hatch,
Chalkbeat,
26 Jan. 2026
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Audrey, the single and childless and PhD-less product of a stable but unhappy home, has fallen short of the life planned out for her by her parents.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The same sad and sinister menace occupying 1600 Penn.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Of course, after a while the thrill of getting caught fades, and sneaking around becomes deeply sad rather than sexy.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
So, yeah, everybody is very disappointed.—
Jay Cohen,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
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Alonso substituted Antonio Rudiger — who was an injury doubt heading into the match — and Raul Asencio in the 69th minute, with the latter looking disappointed on the bench.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.—
John Penner,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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In the current political climate, the girl is despairing.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
23 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Overall, the county’s business community is feeling cynical about the state of the economy, with two-thirds of merchants reporting a negative future outlook, the study’s authors said.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
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The interior dining room, divided into two levels and connected by a slowly sloping ramp, could at first cynical glance register as backdrop.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The despondent faces and the screaming, wailing and pleading from these men, women and children – reportedly as young as 5 years old – will forever haunt me.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
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Bears tight end Cole Kmet, experienced enough to know about such things, spoke the cold hard truth from inside a despondent Soldier Field locker room Sunday night, emphasizing that carryover in the NFL is tough to generate.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Neighbors said they were heartbroken to hear about the incident.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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The younger brother of a man shot celebrating his birthday in the Bronx witnessed the slaying and was wounded by the gunman too, the siblings’ heartbroken mother revealed Monday.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperate. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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