desperate
194
4.1
- adjective
- /ˈdɛspərɪt/
:
desesperado
- In a desperate effort to escape the flood, residents climbed to the rooftops of their homes.
- desperate measures
- a desperate attempt
- a desperate effort
And the more unhealthy they get, the more desperate acts they'll do to keep looking good.
- And the more unhealthy they get, the more desperate acts they'll do to keep looking good.
Examples
-
The ship was bucking and pitching across the waves in a desperate attempt to shake them off.
Fiction book (1994) -
These are ruthless and desperate creatures.
-
You know what desperate times called for desperate measures.
-
And that makes you desperate enough to learn.
-
Are we so desperate that we'll lie to our public?
-
Perhaps that will change as the situation grows more desperate.
-
In such a state, they proved desperate for any manpower they could get.
-
Most, however, enter drug smuggling as a desperate economic measure, given their limited options in the mainstream economy.
Academic text (2008) -
More than anything, I wanted to know what had prompted the desperate action he'd tried to take yesterday.
Fiction book (1990) -
Wellington's retreat turned into a desperate forced March through autumn rain.
Synonyms
141
6.9
Very serious, frightening, and needing action quickly
93
3.9
Very worried and acting quickly in a wild, uncontrolled way
2
7.2
Willing to do anything to succeed when the situation is urgent
Antonyms
Compounds
How Risky
Surface Forms
Etymology
Desperate comes from the Latin desperare, 'without hope', and people with no hope often tried bold or dangerous actions to change things. So, desperate also means doing something risky or extreme because of great need.