Synonyms of desperation

desperation

noun

ˌde-spə-ˈrā-shən 

as in despair

utter loss of hope

during the famine her desperation drove her to do things she wouldn't have normally considered

Synonyms & Similar Words

• despair
• sadness
• hopelessness
• sorrow
• depression
• melancholy
• agony
• misery
• despondence
• despondency
• forlornness
• oppression
• resignation
• slough of despond
• pain
• distress
• unhappiness
• sorrowfulness
• dejection
• gloom
• despond
• acceptance
• mournfulness
• joylessness
• self-pity
• gloominess
• dreariness
• blues
• dumps
• cynicism
• desolation
• pessimism
• blue devils
• doldrums
• dolor
• wretchedness
• woe
• mopes
• downheartedness
• self-despair
• dispiritedness
• disconsolateness
• woefulness
• dolefulness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hope
• hopefulness
• optimism
• cheerfulness
• cheer
• mirth
• glee
• joy
• elation
• ecstasy
• merriment
• exuberance
• gaiety
• joviality
• happiness
• sunniness
• euphoria
• jollity
• exultation
• exhilaration
• lightheartedness
• jubilation
• bliss
• rapture
• joyousness
• joyfulness
• gladness
• gleefulness
• mirthfulness
• blissfulness
• elatedness
• rapturousness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of desperation

Many anecdotes are from people who tried more conventional medicine for digestive issues and, from a place of desperation, decided to look elsewhere for solutions. — Shelby Hartman, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Moreover, the series unpacks the heartwrenching realities of social inequity and how desperation can transform into shocking acts of violence. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 July 2026

The result is an urgent, propulsive song with a raw spirit and some of Pop’s most super-charged writing with deceptively simple lyrics about love and war, dripping with desperation. — Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026

The president’s growing desperation over election policy has begun to bleed into other parts of his agenda. — Toluse Olorunnipa, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026