desperate
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
desperate
- /ˈdɛs.p(ə.)ɹɪt/ Canada, US, UK
- /ˈdɛs.p(ə.)ɹɪt/ California
- [ˈdɛs.p(ə.)ɹɛt] California
- /ˈdɛs.p(ə.)ɹət/
- /ˈdes.p(ə.)ɹɪt/ Australia
- /ˈdes.p(ə.)ɹət/ New Zealand
Where it comes from
From Middle English desperat(e) (“desperate”), borrowed from Latin dēspērātus, perfect passive participle of dēspērō (“to be without hope”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix). The noun is derived from the adjective or from the Latin source through substantivization, see -ate (noun-forming suffix).
adjective more desperate · desperater · most desperate · desperatest
- In dire need (of something); having a dire need or desire. I hadn't eaten in two days and was desperate for food.
- 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.
- Beyond hope, leaving little reason for hope; causing despair; extremely perilous. a desperate disease; desperate fortune
- Involving or employing extreme measures, without regard to danger or safety; reckless due to hopelessness. In England his flute was not in request; there were no convents; and he was forced to have recourse to a series of desperate expedients.
- Extremely bad; outrageous, shocking; intolerable. a desperate offendress against nature
- Intense; extremely intense. She enraged some country ladies with three times her money, by a sort of desperate perfection which they found in her.
adverb more desperate · most desperate
- Desperately.
noun desperates
- A person in desperate circumstances or who is at the point of desperation, such as a down-and-outer, addict, etc.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: despairing, dire, hopeless, dangerous, unsafe, brave, courageous, critical, do-or-die, resolute, fearless, imperative, heroic, distraught, dreadful, terrible
Translations
Every language
adj in dire need (of something)
| Español | desesperado, que necesita desesperadamente |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | verzweifelt bemüht, sehnsuchtsvoll verlangend |
adj filled with despair
| Español | desesperado |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 필사적인 pilsajeog-in, 절망적인 jeolmangjeog-in |
| 日本語 | 絶望的な zetsubōteki na |
| 中文 | 絕望 /绝望 juéwàng |
| Português | desesperado |
| Français | désespéré |
| Deutsch | verzweifelt |
| Italiano | disperato |
| Ελληνικά | απελπισμένος apelpisménos |
| Русский | отча́янный otčájannyj |
| العربية | يَائِس yāʔis, قَانِط qāniṭ |
| עברית | מיואש miuash |
adj beyond hope
| Deutsch | aussichtslos, hoffnungslos |
|---|---|
| العربية | مَيْئُوس مِنْهُ mayʔūs minhu |
adj having reckless abandon
| Português | desesperado |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | verzweifelt, wahnwitzig, irrsinnig |
| Русский | безрассу́дный bezrassúdnyj |
adj extremely intense
| Español | desesperado |
|---|
Talk about this word "desperate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/desperate. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026. desperate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/desperate "desperate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/desperate.Cite this
@misc{desperate_2026,
title = {desperate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/desperate},
urldate = {2026-11-05}
}
