adj.

1. Having lost all hope; despairing.
2. Marked by, arising from, or showing despair: the desperate look of hunger; a desperate cry for help.
3. Reckless or violent because of despair: a desperate criminal.
4. Undertaken out of extreme urgency or as a last resort: a desperate attempt to save the family business.
5. Nearly hopeless; critical: a desperate illness; a desperate situation.
6. Suffering or driven by great need or distress: desperate for recognition.
7. Extremely intense: felt a desperate urge to tell the truth.

[Middle English desperat, from Latin dēspērātus, past participle of dēspērāre, to despair. See despair.]

desperately des'per·ate·ly adv.
desperateness des'per·ate·ness n.

adjective

1. Having lost all hope: despairing, despondent, forlorn, hopeless. See hope/despair.
2. So serious as to be at the point of crisis or necessary to resolve a crisis: acute, climacteric, critical, crucial, dire. See safety/danger.
3. Extreme in degree, strength, or effect: fierce, furious, intense, terrible, vehement, violent. See big/small/amount, strong/weak.

adj

Definition: extreme, intense
Antonyms: calm, content, contented, satisfactory, satisfied

adj

Definition: hopeless
Antonyms: hopeful

adj

Definition: reckless, outrageous
Antonyms: confident, content, satisfied, secure, unworried

---

IN BRIEF: Reckless because of having no hope. Also: Very bad or hopeless.

It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things. — Henry David Thoreau.

Tutor's tip: Many "disparate" (quite different or distinct) organizations joined together to help the "desperate" (extreme need or hopelessness) flood survivors.

Common misspelling(s) of desperate

• desparate

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - desperat, hensynsløs, håbløs, rædsom, vild

Nederlands (Dutch)
wanhopig, radeloos, niets ontziend, kritiek/ ernstig, vreselijk (storm)

Français (French)
adj. - désespéré, acharné, capable de tout, atroce, abominable

Deutsch (German)
adj. - verzweifelt, dringend, extrem

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - απελπισμένος, απεγνωσμένος, σκληρός, απελπιστικός, επικίνδυνος

Italiano (Italian)
disperato

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - desesperado, violento

Русский (Russian)
отчаявшийся, безнадежный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - desesperado, peligroso, extremadamente malo, excesivo, sin esperanzas

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - desperat, hänsynslös

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
情急拼命的, 铤而走险的, 绝望的, 危急的, 极度渴望的

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 情急拼命的, 鋌而走險的, 絕望的, 危急的, 極度渴望的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 필사적인, 자포자기의, (좋아질) 희망이 없는

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 自暴自棄の, 必死の, 悲観的な, 必死で願って

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) يائس, فاقد الأمل, مستهتر بالاجرام, شديد الحاجه الى شئ‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מיואש, נואש, מסוכן, חמור‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.

Desperate Housewives	desperate housewives 2
desperate housewives