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

McDaniel says the move isn’t based on desperation despite the team failing to score a touchdown in its last two games. — Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026

But across this wolf may cry, her breathy delivery becomes so uniform that longing, frustration, and romantic desperation frequently sound indistinguishable. — Precious Fondren, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2026

Our community is dying; there’s an underlying sense of desperation, grief and pride that can both protect and suffocate out of a need to survive – this film is ultimately a love letter to us, with a sense of knowing. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026

His cycle of heavy drinking and little sleep also allows Whishaw to convincingly shade his character in a shifting desperation that turns on a dime. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2026