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
• gayety
• 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

But social media channels – usually Telegram – provide a glimpse into the deep anxieties and desperation felt by many soldiers and their families and give a sense of why some Russian servicemen chose to quit. —Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 28 July 2025

And as the Trump administration plunges people into desperation, budgets swell for police and prisons, continuing a cycle that disproportionately targets Black people. —Nkechi Taifa, Baltimore Sun, 28 July 2025

There’s a fine line between eagerness and desperation. —Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 27 July 2025

Mental illness, coercion or desperation can all lead someone to admit guilt falsely. —Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 27 July 2025