Definitions for desperate
ˈdɛs pər ɪt, -prɪtdes·per·ate

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. desperate(adj)

   a person who is frightened and in need of help

   "they prey on the hopes of the desperate"

2. despairing, desperate(adj)

   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"

3. desperate, do-or-die(a)(adj)

   desperately determined

   "do-or-die revolutionaries"; "a do-or-die conflict"

4. desperate(adj)

   (of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair

   "a desperate criminal"; "taken hostage of desperate men"

5. desperate, heroic(adj)

   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"- G.C.Marshall; "they took heroic measures to save his life"

6. desperate(adj)

   showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire

   "felt a desperate urge to confess"; "a desperate need for recognition"

7. desperate, dire(adj)

   fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless

   "a desperate illness"; "on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel"- G.C.Marshall; "a dire emergency"

Wiktionary(3.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. desperate(Adjective)

   Being filled with, or in a state of despair; hopeless.

   I was so desperate at one point, I even went to see a loan shark.

   Etymology: From desperatus, past participle of despero

2. desperate(Adjective)

   Reckless abandon in the pursuit of an extreme desire.

   Etymology: From desperatus, past participle of despero

3. desperate(Adjective)

   Extremely intense.

   Etymology: From desperatus, past participle of despero

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Desperate(adj)

   without hope; given to despair; hopeless

2. Desperate(adj)

   beyond hope; causing despair; extremely perilous; irretrievable; past cure, or, at least, extremely dangerous; as, a desperate disease; desperate fortune

3. Desperate(adj)

   proceeding from, or suggested by, despair; without regard to danger or safety; reckless; furious; as, a desperate effort

4. Desperate(adj)

   extreme, in a bad sense; outrageous; -- used to mark the extreme predominance of a bad quality

5. Desperate(noun)

   one desperate or hopeless

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Desperate

   Desperate is a 1947 suspense film noir directed by Anthony Mann.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Desperate

   des′pėr-āt, adj. in a state of despair: hopeless: beyond hope: fearless of danger: rash: furious.—adv. Des′perately.—ns. Des′perateness, Desperā′tion, state of despair: disregard of danger: fury. [See Despair.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. DESPERATE

   If you are desperate, you are in such a bad situation that you are willing to try anything to change it.done because you can think of no other way;reckless or dangerous because of despair, hopelessness, or urgency;very worried and angry because you do not know how to deal with an unpleasant situation;needing or wanting something very much;A desperate person is willing to take any measures and may be dangerous:showing a willingness to take any risk in order to change a bad or dangerous situation; feeling that you have no hope and are ready to do anything to change the bad situation you are in;Having lost all hope:despairing, despondent, forlorn, hopeless. so serious as to be at the point of crisis or necessary to resolve a crisis: grave, great, pressing, serious, critical, acute, severe, extreme, urgent, dire, drastic, very grave,climacteric,crucial. Extreme in degree, strength, or effect:fierce, last-ditch, dangerous, daring, determined, wild, violent, furious, last-minute, risky, frantic, rash, hazardous, precipitate, last-resort, hasty, audacious, madcap, foolhardy, eleventh-hour, headstrong, impetuous, death-defying,intense, terrible, vehement,violent,extremely severe or serious;giving no ground for hope,moved by despair or utter loss of hope, involving or employing extreme measures in an attempt to escape defeat or frustration, suffering extreme need or anxiety,involving extreme danger or possible disaster,of extreme intensity,having a very great need;SHOCKING, OUTRAGEOUS ,despairing, despondent, forlorn, hopeless,in despair,abject ,dejected ,demoralized ,wretched ,disconsolate ,inconsolable ,downhearted ,at the end of your tether.

   But then closing down society was not a thought-out response, so much as a desperate measure for a desperate time.

   Submitted by anonymous on July 2, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'desperate' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3806

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'desperate' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2918

3. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'desperate' in Adjectives Frequency: #493

Anagrams for desperate »

1. Departees

How to pronounce desperate?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say desperate in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of desperate in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of desperate in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of desperate in a Sentence

1. Art Caplan:

   I worry that a desperate White House could bring pressure on the FDA to approve something way before it's ready, just to be able to say, we promised you a vaccine and we got you one.

2. Colin Robertson:

   They (the Americans) are desperate to try and get this relationship back on an even keel.

3. Ian Livingstone:

   People are desperate to buy in Cuba but they need some reassurance at this stage and that means a reputable company such as ours, it is important we get the right quality because Cuba wants to start attracting more high-end tourists.

4. Antonio Guterres:

   These people are forced to go on boats, they pay 4,000 or 5,000 euros and they die in these desperate circumstances.

5. Horatio Nelson:

   Desperate affairs require desperate remedies.

Images & Illustrations of desperate

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