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
Usagi is swept away in it and Ryuji follows, as the others hold onto a ledge in desperation.
—
Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
The film’s abundant humor and humanity are both rooted in DiCaprio’s ability to contain both of those people at once — to span the distance between those opposite shores while flailing towards each of them with equal desperation.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2025
But when his past behavior costs him yet another opportunity, Russ’ desperation hits a new peak.
—Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2025
At some point desperation will set in, but for now the Miami Dolphins are seemingly staying composed despite getting off to a nightmarish 0-3 start this season.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desperation
Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
The film’s abundant humor and humanity are both rooted in DiCaprio’s ability to contain both of those people at once — to span the distance between those opposite shores while flailing towards each of them with equal desperation.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2025
But when his past behavior costs him yet another opportunity, Russ’ desperation hits a new peak.
—Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2025
At some point desperation will set in, but for now the Miami Dolphins are seemingly staying composed despite getting off to a nightmarish 0-3 start this season.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desperation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperation
Noun
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Maybe there will come a time when Reid is comfortable publicly sharing stories about his sister and the despair the family has endured with her loss.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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But the show's greatest asset is its stars, whose endearing real-life friendship pierces through the play’s inherent despair.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There’s not even a sadness or an anger.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
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When his dog, Grace, died the year before, at the age of sixteen and a half, the sadness was overwhelming.—
Ann Patchett,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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At New York Fashion Week, beauty acted as a moment of reprise from the hopelessness many are feeling in the current state of the world.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 Sep. 2025
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The film certainly steers clear of Emmerichian overdrive, but it is suffused with hopelessness — on both an intimate and an epic scale.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desperation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperation. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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