[
US
/ˈdɛspɝɪt, ˈdɛspɹɪt/
]
[ UK /dˈɛspəɹət/ ]
[ UK /dˈɛspəɹət/ ]
ADJECTIVE
-
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
the last despairing plea of the condemned criminal
a desperate cry for help
helpless and desperate--as if at the end of his tether
a despairing view of the world situation
her desperate screams -
fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
a dire emergency
a desperate illness
on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel -
desperately determined
a do-or-die conflict
do-or-die revolutionaries -
showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort
they took heroic measures to save his life
the desperate gallantry of our naval task forces marked the turning point in the Pacific war
made a last desperate attempt to reach the climber -
(of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair
taken hostage of desperate men
a desperate criminal -
showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire
a desperate need for recognition
felt a desperate urge to confess
NOUN
-
a person who is frightened and in need of help
they prey on the hopes of the desperate
How To Use desperate In A Sentence
- Every so often a rabbit would make a desperate, lung-bursting bid for freedom, only to provide an easy target for the twelve-bores.
- A senior detective who led the hunt for two armed robbers behind a series of terrifying raids across Bradford today told of the desperate race against time to catch them before someone was shot.
- None of us wanted to ‘need’ cigarettes almost desperately and to feel insecure and anxious without them.
- She always seems to be desperately busy!
- I clung onto bits of ice and tried desperately to remove the harness attaching me to the sledge.
- I've followed this story from the time Blaise and her boyfriend went galavanting around Marseilles, when you and your husband were desperately trying to find them both and fearing the worst. Une plaie - French Word-A-Day
- Rescue teams worked desperately to restore utilities in the area shattered by the hurricane.
- He is homeless and in desperate need of help.
- I groped for the gear stick, sobbing desperately as the car lurched forward.
- Few and far between were the desperate, overeager chat-up lines of some relationship-hungry singles.
