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desperateness
des·per·ate
/
ˈdɛs
pər
ɪt, -prɪt
/
Show Spelled
[
des
-per-it, -prit
]
Show IPA
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
.
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noun
9.
Obsolete
.
a desperado.
00:10
Desperateness
is always a great word to know.
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ort
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bezoar
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lollapalooza
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a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
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.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
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Origin:
1350–1400;
Middle English
<
Latin
dēspērātus,
past participle of
dēspērāre
to
despair
; see
-ate
1
Related forms
des·per·ate·ly,
adverb
des·per·ate·ness,
noun
qua·si-des·per·ate,
adjective
qua·si-des·per·ate·ly,
adverb
Can be confused:
desperate,
disparate
.
Synonyms
1.
rash, frantic.
3.
grave. See
hopeless
.
8.
forlorn, desolate.
Antonyms
1.
careful.
3, 8.
hopeful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To
desperateness
Collins
World English Dictionary
desperate
(ˈdɛspərɪt, -prɪt)
—
adj
(often
postpositive
and foll by
for
)
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
despair
]
'desperately
—
adv
'desperateness
—
n
desperate
(ˈdɛspərɪt, -prɪt)
—
adj
(often
postpositive
and foll by
for
)
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
despair
]
'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
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
Cite This Source
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