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

Lama, 28 years old, softspoken and shy, walks quietly among them, equal parts desperation and dread. — ABC News, 23 July 2026

The heaps of body horror and gritty special effects definitely helped, on top of a breakout performance from Sharlto Copley who conveyed a palpable sense of desperation. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 23 July 2026

There’s a desperation in his voice, a weariness that evokes bad nights’ sleep and endless doomscrolling, but there’s also a delicacy to his performance, a gentleness that has precedent in his catalog but still feels new. — Stephen M. Deusner, Pitchfork, 17 July 2026

For years, they have been stuck at sea with their leader, the great warrior king Odysseus (Matt Damon), trying to find a route home to Ithaca; hunger and desperation have spurred his fiery second-in-command, Eurylochus (Himesh Patel), toward mutiny. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026