desperate
Use Desperate in a sentence
pər adjective
1.
reckless or dangerous because of despair or urgency: a desperate killer.
2.
having an urgent need, desire, etc.: desperate for attention.
3.
leaving little or no hope; very serious or dangerous: a desperate illness.
4.
extremely bad; intolerable or shocking: clothes in desperate taste.
5.
extreme or excessive.
6.
making a final, ultimate effort; giving all: a desperate attempt to save a life.
7.
actuated by a feeling of hopelessness.
8.
having no hope; giving in to despair.
noun
9.
Obsolete. a desperado.
00:10
Desperate
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To desperate
Collins
World English Dictionary
desperate (ˈdɛspərɪt, -prɪt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj (often postpositive | |
| 1. | careless of danger, as from despair; utterly reckless |
| 2. | (of an act) reckless; risky |
| 3. | used or undertaken in desperation or as a last resort: desperate measures |
| 4. | critical; very grave: in desperate need |
| 5. | in distress and having a great need or desire |
| 6. | moved by or showing despair or hopelessness; despairing |
| [C15: from Latin dēspērāre to have no hope; see | |
| 'desperately | |
| —adv | |
| 'desperateness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
desperate
late 15c., "despairing, hopeless," from L. desperatus "given up, despaired of," pp. of desperare (see despair). Sense of "driven to recklessness" is from late 15c.; weakened sense of "having a great desire for" is from 1950s. Related: Desperately.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
It's a beautiful image of a desperate and abandoned man.
If statistically desperate, you're tempted to grab whatever data is available.
Desperate, the committee lopped the dome off the design, leaving no more than a squat mega-shed.
It can be a sad sight to witness their desperate struggle to defend their bubble from popping.
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