DESPERATE
| Pronunciation (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does desperate mean?
• DESPERATE (noun)
The noun DESPERATE has 1 sense:
1. a person who is frightened and in need of help
Familiarity information: DESPERATE used as a noun is very rare.
• DESPERATE (adjective)
The adjective DESPERATE has 6 senses:
1. arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
2. desperately determined
3. (of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair
4. showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort
5. showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire
6. fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
Familiarity information: DESPERATE used as an adjective is common.
Dictionary entry details
• DESPERATE (noun)
Meaning:
A person who is frightened and in need of help
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Context example:
they prey on the hopes of the desperate
Hypernyms ("desperate" is a kind of...):
unfortunate; unfortunate person (a person who suffers misfortune)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "desperate"):
goner; toast (a person in desperate straits; someone doomed)
• DESPERATE (adjective)
Meaning:
Arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
Synonyms:
despairing; desperate
Context examples:
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
Similar:
hopeless (without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success)
Meaning:
Desperately determined
Synonyms:
do-or-die; desperate
Context examples:
do-or-die revolutionaries / a do-or-die conflict
Similar:
resolute (firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination)
Meaning:
(of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair
Context examples:
a desperate criminal / taken hostage of desperate men
Similar:
dangerous; unsafe (involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm)
Meaning:
Showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort
Synonyms:
desperate; heroic
Context examples:
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 / they took heroic measures to save his life
Similar:
brave; courageous (possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching)
Meaning:
Showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire
Context examples:
felt a desperate urge to confess / a desperate need for recognition
Similar:
imperative (requiring attention or action)
Meaning:
Fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
Synonyms:
dire; desperate
Context examples:
a desperate illness / on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel / a dire emergency
Similar:
critical (being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency)
