desperate
Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Idioms, Wikipedia.
desperate
rash, frantic, hopeless, desolate: The situation seemed desperate.
Not to be confused with:
disparate – separate, divergent, unlike: disparate objectives of the two groups
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
des·per·ate
(dĕs′pər-ĭt)adj.
1. Having lost all hope; despairing.
2. Marked by, arising from, or showing despair: the desperate look of hunger; a desperate cry for help.
3. Reckless or violent because of despair: a desperate criminal.
4. Undertaken out of extreme urgency or as a last resort: a desperate attempt to save the family business.
5. Nearly hopeless; critical: a desperate illness; a desperate situation.
6. Suffering or driven by great need or distress: desperate for recognition.
7. Extremely intense: felt a desperate urge to tell the truth.
[Middle English desperat, from Latin dēspērātus, past participle of dēspērāre, to despair; see despair.]
des′per·ate·ly adv.
des′per·ate·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
desperate
(ˈdɛspərɪt; -prɪt)adj
1. careless of danger, as from despair; utterly reckless
2. (of an act) reckless; risky
3. used or undertaken in desperation or as a last resort: desperate measures.
4. critical; very grave: in desperate need.
5. (Psychology) (often: postpositive and foll by for) in distress and having a great need or desire
6. (Psychology) moved by or showing despair or hopelessness; despairing
[C15: from Latin dēspērāre to have no hope; see despair]
ˈdesperately adv
ˈdesperateness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
des•per•ate
(ˈdɛs pər ɪt, -prɪt)adj.
1. reckless or dangerous because of despair or urgency: a desperate killer.
2. having an urgent need, desire, etc.: desperate for attention.
3. very serious or dangerous: a desperate situation.
4. giving all: a desperate attempt.
5. extreme or excessive: desperate haste.
6. undertaken out of despair or as a last resort.
7. having no hope; giving in to despair.
8. extremely bad; shocking.
[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin dēspērātus, past participle of dēspērāre to despair]
des′per•ate•ly, adv.
des′per•ate•ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  desperate - a person who is frightened and in need of help; "they prey on the hopes of the desperate"unfortunate, unfortunate person - a person who suffers misfortune |
| Adj. | 1. | desperate - 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" hopeless - without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success; "in an agony of hopeless grief"; "with a hopeless sigh he sat down" |
| 2. | desperate - desperately determined; "do-or-die revolutionaries"; "a do-or-die conflict" resolute - firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination; "stood resolute against the enemy"; "faced with a resolute opposition"; "a resolute and unshakeable faith" | |
| 3. | desperate - (of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair; "a desperate criminal"; "taken hostage of desperate men" | |
| 4. | desperate - 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" brave, courageous - possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching; "Familiarity with danger makes a brave man braver but less daring"- Herman Melville; "a frank courageous heart...triumphed over pain"- William Wordsworth; "set a courageous example by leading them safely into and out of enemy-held territory" | |
| 5. | desperate - showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire; "felt a desperate urge to confess"; "a desperate need for recognition" imperative - requiring attention or action; "as nuclear weapons proliferate, preventing war becomes imperative"; "requests that grew more and more imperative" | |
| 6. | desperate - 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" critical - being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency; "a critical shortage of food"; "a critical illness"; "an illness at the critical stage" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
desperate
adjective
1. hopeless, despairing, in despair, forlorn, abject, dejected, despondent, demoralized, wretched, disconsolate, inconsolable, downhearted, at the end of your tether Her people were poor, desperate and starving.
2. eager, longing, keen, raring, hungry, enthusiastic, yearning, impatient, up for it (informal), keen as mustard She was desperate to start a family.
3. grave, great, pressing, serious, critical, acute, severe, extreme, urgent, dire, drastic, very grave Troops are needed to get food to people in desperate need.
4. 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 a desperate rescue attempt
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
desperate
adjective1. Having lost all hope:
2. So serious as to be at the point of crisis or necessary to resolve a crisis:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
فاقِد الأمَل، يائِسماسٌّ، مُسْتَعْجَلمُسْتَميت، مُتَهَوِّريَائِس
zoufalýbeznadějnývšeho schopný
desperatfortvivlethåbløs
epätoivoinen
očajan
öròrifa-öròrifa-, sem svífst einskisörvæntingarfullur
必死の
절망적인
desperacijadesperatiškaiiš neviltieslabai užsispyręsnevilties kupinas
bezcerīgsbriesmīgsizmisīgsneprātīgsšausmīgs
odhodlaný
obupanobupenželjan
desperat
ซึ่งสิ้นหวัง
liều lĩnh
desperate
[ˈdespərɪt] ADJ1. [person, act, attempt, situation] → desesperado
to feel desperate → estar desesperado
to be desperate for sth → necesitar algo urgentemente
I'm desperate (for the lavatory)! → me muero de ganas de ir al lavabo
to get or grow desperate → desesperarse
to resort to desperate measures → recurrir a medidas desesperadas, recurrir a fruto de la de desesperación
you're going out with her? you must be desperate! (hum) → ¿sales con ésa? ¡muy desesperado debes estar!
to be in desperate need of sth → necesitar algo urgentemente
the company's desperate financial position → la crítica posición económica de la empresa
to do something desperate → cometer un acto desesperado, cometer una locura, hacer algo a la desesperada
to be desperate to do sth: I was desperate to see her → estaba desesperada por verla, quería verla a toda costa, me moría por verla
she was desperate to find a new job → estaba desesperada por encontrar otro trabajo
both countries are desperate to avoid war → ambos países quieren evitar la guerra a toda costa
to feel desperate → estar desesperado
to be desperate for sth → necesitar algo urgentemente
I'm desperate (for the lavatory)! → me muero de ganas de ir al lavabo
to get or grow desperate → desesperarse
to resort to desperate measures → recurrir a medidas desesperadas, recurrir a fruto de la de desesperación
you're going out with her? you must be desperate! (hum) → ¿sales con ésa? ¡muy desesperado debes estar!
to be in desperate need of sth → necesitar algo urgentemente
the company's desperate financial position → la crítica posición económica de la empresa
to do something desperate → cometer un acto desesperado, cometer una locura, hacer algo a la desesperada
to be desperate to do sth: I was desperate to see her → estaba desesperada por verla, quería verla a toda costa, me moría por verla
she was desperate to find a new job → estaba desesperada por encontrar otro trabajo
both countries are desperate to avoid war → ambos países quieren evitar la guerra a toda costa
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
desperate
[ˈdɛspərət] adj [person] → désespéré(e)
to be desperate with sth [+ anxiety, worry] → être rongé(e) par qch
to get desperate → commencer à désespérer
I was getting desperate → Je commençais à désespérer.
to be desperate for sth → avoir désespérément besoin de qch
to be desperate to do sth → ne chercher qu'à faire qch
to be desperate for sb to do sth → vouloir à tout prix que qn fasse qch
to be desperate with sth [+ anxiety, worry] → être rongé(e) par qch
to get desperate → commencer à désespérer
I was getting desperate → Je commençais à désespérer.
to be desperate for sth → avoir désespérément besoin de qch
to be desperate to do sth → ne chercher qu'à faire qch
to be desperate for sb to do sth → vouloir à tout prix que qn fasse qch
[fugitive, criminal] → prêt(e) à tout
[situation] → désespéré(e); [attempt, effort] → désespéré(e)
a desperate situation → une situation désespérée
a desperate situation → une situation désespérée
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
desperate
adj
→ verzweifelt; criminal → zum Äußersten entschlossen; measure, situation → verzweifelt, extrem; solution → extrem; don’t do anything desperate! → mach keine Dummheiten!; to get or grow desperate → verzweifeln, in Verzweiflung geraten; I haven’t had a cigarette for hours, I’m getting desperate (inf) → ich habe schon seit Stunden keine mehr geraucht, jetzt brauche ich aber dringend eine; things are desperate → die Lage ist extrem; the company’s desperate financial position → die extrem gespannte Finanzlage der Firma; the desperate plight of the refugees → die schreckliche Not der Flüchtlinge; to be desperate to do something → etw unbedingt tun wollen; to be desperate for somebody to do something → unbedingt wollen, dass jd etw tut; to be desperate for something → etw unbedingt or dringend brauchen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
desperate
[ˈdɛsp/ərɪt] adj (gen) → disperato/a; (criminal) → capace di tutto; (measures) → estremo/awe are getting desperate → siamo sull'orlo della disperazione
to be desperate to do sth → volere disperatamente fare qc
I'm desperate for money (fam) → ho un disperato bisogno di soldi
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
desperate
(ˈdespərət) adjective1. (sometimes used loosely) despairingly reckless or violent. She was desperate to get into university; a desperate criminal.
2. very bad or almost hopeless. We are in a desperate situation.
3. urgent and despairing. He made a desperate appeal for help.
ˈdesperately adverbˌdespeˈration noun
In desperation we asked the police for help.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
desperate
→ يَائِس zoufalý desperat verzweifelt απελπισμένος desesperado epätoivoinen désespéré očajan disperato 必死の 절망적인 wanhopig desperat zdesperowany desesperado отчаянный desperat ซึ่งสิ้นหวัง umutsuz liều lĩnh 绝望的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
desperate
adj desesperado; to become — desesperarseEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.