desperate

[ des-per-it, -prit ]
/ ˈdɛs pər ɪt, -prɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR desperate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

noun

Obsolete. a desperado.

Origin of desperate

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin dēspērātus, past participle of dēspērāre to despair; see -ate1

synonym study for desperate

3. See hopeless.

OTHER WORDS FROM desperate

des·per·ate·ly, adverb des·per·ate·ness, noun qua·si-des·per·ate, adjective qua·si-des·per·ate·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH desperate

desperate disparate

Words nearby desperate

despairing, despatch, despeciation, despenser, desperado, desperate, desperation, despicable, despise, despite, despiteful

Words related to desperate

daring, dangerous, bold, violent, determined, frantic, furious, frenzied, great, urgent, terrible, fierce, critical, dire, forlorn, vain, futile, despondent, sad, madcap

Example sentences from the Web for desperate

British Dictionary definitions for desperate

desperate
/ (ˈdɛspərɪt, -prɪt) /

adjective

careless of danger, as from despair; utterly reckless
(of an act) reckless; risky
used or undertaken in desperation or as a last resort desperate measures
critical; very grave in desperate need
(often postpositive and foll by for) in distress and having a great need or desire
moved by or showing despair or hopelessness; despairing

Derived forms of desperate

desperately, adverb desperateness, noun

Word Origin for desperate

C15: from Latin dēspērāre to have no hope; see despair