Loading page
say it: DEH-sprit
desperate is an adjective and noun meaning "arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope". It carries 7 recorded senses.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
“a despairing view of the world situation”
“the last despairing plea of the condemned criminal”
“a desperate cry for help”
“helpless and desperate--as if at the end of his tether”
“her desperate screams”
(of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair
“a desperate criminal”
“taken hostage of desperate men”
showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort
“made a last desperate attempt to reach the climber”
“the desperate gallantry of our naval task forces marked the turning point in the Pacific war”
“they took heroic measures to save his life”
showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire
“felt a desperate urge to confess”
“a desperate need for recognition”
a person who is frightened and in need of help
“they prey on the hopes of the desperate”
Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for desperate come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.