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desperate definition

des·per·ate (des′pər it)

adjective

    1. driven to or resulting from loss of hope; rash or violent because of despair a desperate criminal
    2. having a very great desire, need, etc. desperate for affection
  2. offering so little chance, as for improvement, as to cause despair; extremely dangerous or serious a desperate illness
  3. extreme; drastic in desperate need
  4. Archaic despairing; without hope

Etymology: ME desperat < L desperatus, pp. of desperare: see despair

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

desperate Synonyms

desperate

modif.

  1. Hopeless

    despairing, despondent, desirous, in extremities; see hopeless 2, sad 1.

  2. Reckless

    incautious, frantic, wild; see careless 1, rash.

  3. Extreme

    great, drastic, acute, dire; see extreme 2, urgent 1. See syn. study at hopeless.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

desperate Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • increasingly: Worse still, he ignores her increasingly desperate demands for some reaction to her.

Preposition: for

  • outfit: I was getting desperate for an ancient soldier outfit for my son and found Charlie Crow on the internet.

Infinitive complement

  • cling: Perhaps they are in a state of shock - desperate to cling to the old world in the face of such horror.

Modifies a noun

  • plea: Brandon's desperate plea for help Treble tilt could be last throw Whickham's Vase glory remembered Hobson's choice was for England.. .

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: Wanda Jean ' s audience seemed desperate to talk about anything other then the powerful documentary we were there to imbibe.
desperate usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

desperate quotes

It is defiantöthe desperate act of men too profoundly convinced of the rottenness of our civilization to want to save a shred of its respectability.

-Read, Sir Herbert Edward

desperate quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"desperate." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/desperate>

APA Style

desperate. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/desperate

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