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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Recent Examples of desperation
In desperation, the woman’s care team reached out to Müller, a hematologist-oncologist at the University Hospital of Erlangen, a roughly three-hour drive away by ambulance.
—
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Weeds, Killing It, Deli Boys and Sunny Nights all have organic load-bearing economic desperation, while Big Mistakes has a writers’ room.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2026
When the Taliban took Kabul in 2021, the world watched as Afghans clung to departing planes, hoping desperation might carry them to safety.
—Sediqa Fahimi, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
That's immediately more interesting to me, because there's desperation there.
—Sarah Rodman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desperation
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Weeds, Killing It, Deli Boys and Sunny Nights all have organic load-bearing economic desperation, while Big Mistakes has a writers’ room.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2026
When the Taliban took Kabul in 2021, the world watched as Afghans clung to departing planes, hoping desperation might carry them to safety.
—Sediqa Fahimi, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
That's immediately more interesting to me, because there's desperation there.
—Sarah Rodman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desperation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperation
Noun
-
And each served as a reminder that even in times of despair, our nation is still turning out good people, humble people, talented people, people determined to move the world forward through hard work, compassion and teamwork.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
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While her victory earned Lindblad job security on Tour for the next two years, the euphoria that came from winning was eventually replaced with a sense of despair and frustration due to her ongoing struggles throughout the remainder of the 2025 season and into early 2026.—
Bob Buttitta,
Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Lane takes his place among the best, his Willy Loman a powder keg of frustration and disappointment and deep, deep sadness.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2026
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Underneath the fantastical conceit is this current of sadness, of loneliness, a yearning for connection.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The other featured a comeback that saw hopelessness turn into jubilation.—
Peter Warren,
Houston Chronicle,
28 Mar. 2026
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For her and many other Iranians who spoke to CNN – their surnames withheld to protect their identities – the past three weeks have been filled with a sense of hopelessness and fear.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desperation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperation. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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