desperate
Noun · AdjectiveOpen English WordNet
Adjective (6)
- 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”Synonyms: despairingOpposite hopefulSimilar hopeless
- desperately determined“do-or-die revolutionaries”“a do-or-die conflict”Synonyms: do-or-dieOpposite irresoluteSimilar resolute
- (of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair“a desperate criminal”“taken hostage of desperate men”Opposite safeSimilar dangerous, unsafe
- 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”Synonyms: heroicOpposite cowardlySimilar brave, courageous
- showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire“felt a desperate urge to confess”“a desperate need for recognition”Opposite beseechingSimilar imperative
- 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”Synonyms: direOpposite noncriticalSimilar critical
Noun (1)
- a person who is frightened and in need of help“they prey on the hopes of the desperate”Type of unfortunate, unfortunate personKinds goner, toast
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Adjective filled with despair
- Spanish
- desesperado
- French
- désespéré
- German
- verzweifelt
- Italian
- disperato
- Portuguese
- desesperado
- Turkish
- umutsuz
- Russian
- отча́янный otčájannyj
- Chinese
- 绝望 juéwàng
- Japanese
- 絶望的 zetsubōteki
- Dutch
- vertwijfeld
14 more languages
- Polish
- zdesperowany
- Swedish
- desperat
- Greek
- απελπισμένος apelpisménos
- Hungarian
- kétségbeesett
- Portuguese (PT)
- desesperado
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 絕望 juéwàng
- Catalan
- desesperat
- Czech
- zoufalý
- Danish
- desperat
- Finnish
- epätoivoinen
- Georgian
- სასოწარკვეთილი sasoc̣arḳvetili
- Norwegian
- desperat
- Serbo-Croatian
- očajan
- Yiddish
- פֿאַרייִאושט faryiesht
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: L. desperatus, p. p. of desperare. See Despair, and cf. Desperado.
1. Without hope; given to despair; hopeless. obsolete
I am desperate of obtaining her.— William Shakespeare
2. Beyond hope; causing despair; extremely perilous; irretrievable; past cure, or, at least, extremely dangerous; as, a desperate disease; desperate fortune.
3. Proceeding from, or suggested by, despair; without regard to danger or safety; reckless; furious; as, a desperate effort. “Desperate expedients.” Thomas Babington Macaulay
4. Extreme, in a bad sense; outrageous; — used to mark the extreme predominance of a bad quality.
A desperate offendress against nature.— William Shakespeare
The most desperate of reprobates.— Thomas Babington Macaulay
Synonyms: Hopeless; despairing; desponding; rash; headlong; precipitate; irretrievable; irrecoverable; forlorn; mad; furious; frantic.
One desperate or hopeless. obsolete
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54