Synonyms of desperate

desperate

adjective

ˈde-sp(ə-)rət 

as in hopeless

feeling or showing no hope

desperate cancer patients who are vulnerable to the claims of unscrupulous quacks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hopeless
• unhappy
• sad
• disappointed
• despairing
• cynical
• despondent
• heartbroken
• bleak
• depressed
• forlorn
• mournful
• dark
• melancholy
• accepting
• depressing
• miserable
• discouraged
• sorry
• dejected
• heartsick
• woebegone
• dispirited
• disconsolate
• sorrowful
• crestfallen
• blue
• low
• abject
• inconsolable
• woeful
• wretched
• joyless
• gloomy
• brokenhearted
• grieving
• doleful
• resigned
• disheartened
• glum
• downcast
• saddened
• weeping
• hangdog
• desolate
• wailing
• downhearted
• down
• dismal
• cheerless
• low-spirited
• pessimistic
• dreary
• heartsore
• comfortless
• funereal
• drear

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hopeful
• optimistic
• ecstatic
• exuberant
• exultant
• euphoric
• enraptured
• merry
• jolly
• gay
• jovial
• elated
• blithe
• encouraged
• mirthful
• exhilarated
• happy
• entranced
• glad
• cheerful
• lively
• vivacious
• perky
• joyous
• joyful
• delighted
• gleeful
• jubilant
• blissful
• animated
• buoyant
• cheery
• sprightly
• blithesome
• upbeat
• jocund
• jaunty
• sunny
• heartened
• lightsome
• chipper
• sprightful
• gladdened
• gladsome

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective desperate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of desperate are despairing, despondent, and hopeless. While all these words mean "having lost all or nearly all hope," 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

Where would despairing be a reasonable alternative to desperate?

While the synonyms despairing and desperate are close in meaning, despairing suggests the slipping away of all hope and often despondency.

despairing appeals for the return of the kidnapped child

When might despondent be a better fit than desperate?

The words despondent and desperate can be used in similar contexts, but despondent implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort.

despondent about yet another rejection

In what contexts can hopeless take the place of desperate?

The meanings of hopeless and desperate largely overlap; however, hopeless suggests despair and the cessation of effort or resistance and often implies acceptance or resignation.

the situation of the trapped miners is hopeless

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of desperate

Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. —Peter D'abrosca , Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026

The first section, focusing on Fergana (1493–1503), begins at Babur’s accession to Fergana’s throne at age 12 and follows his decade of desperate maneuvering against the Uzbek chief Muhammad Shaybani Khan. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026

Stuck in the desert somewhere just south of the American border, Zendaya’s desperate, unreasonably chipper addict is trying to get a duffel bag filled with who knows what from Chihuahua back to California, but her off-road route is filled with impediments. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026

Meta is desperate to regain momentum in the fiercely competitive AI market following the disappointing debut of its latest open-source models last April. —Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026