desperate
In dire need (of something); having a dire need or desire.
Adjective 4 meanings
In dire need (of something); having a dire need or desire.
“I hadn't eaten in two days and was desperate for food.”
Being filled with, or in a state of, despair; hopeless.
“I was so desperate at one point, I even went to see a loan shark.”
Beyond hope, leaving little reason for hope; causing despair; extremely perilous.
“a desperate disease; desperate fortune”
Involving or employing extreme measures, without regard to danger or safety; reckless due to hopelessness.
“He dove into the rushing waters in a desperate effort to save her life.”
Noun 1 meaning
A person in desperate circumstances or who is at the point of desperation, such as a down-and-outer, addict, etc.
Etymology
From Middle English desperat(e) (“desperate”), borrowed from Latin dēspērātus, perfect passive participle of dēspērō (“to be without hope”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix). The noun is derived from the adjective or from the Latin source through substantivization, see -ate (noun-forming suffix).
DESPERATE at a glance
DESPERATE has 9 letters and scores 12 points in Scrabble (D 2 + E 1 + S 1 + P 3 + E 1 + R 1 + A 1 + T 1 + E 1) and 13 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #4,072 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with desperate
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