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

That is the pressure and desperation that guides Schoen and Brian Daboll Thursday with aims to possibly select two players in the first round, including a position player at No. 3 overall and their next franchise quarterback in a trade up from the top of Round 2. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025

The gasping-for-air desperation to reject mundanity and let out frustrations by sneaking out to smoke a joint or playing instruments in a dusty garage, dreaming about going on road trips together to escape from it all. —Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025

Released during the pandemic, Squid Game tapped into a worldwide desperation. —Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025

Too many business owners negotiate from a place of desperation. —Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025