DESPERATE Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'desperate' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of desperate are despairing , despondent , and hopeless . While all these words mean "having lost all or nearly all hope," desperate implies despair that prompts reckless action or violence in the face of defeat or frustration. // one last desperate attempt to turn the tide of battle

Q: Where would 'despairing' be a reasonable alternative to 'desperate'?

While the synonyms despairing and desperate are close in meaning, despairing suggests the slipping away of all hope and often despondency. // despairing appeals for the return of the kidnapped child

Q: When might 'despondent' be a better fit than 'desperate'?

The words despondent and desperate can be used in similar contexts, but despondent implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort. // despondent about yet another rejection

Q: In what contexts can 'hopeless' take the place of 'desperate'?

The meanings of hopeless and desperate largely overlap; however, hopeless suggests despair and the cessation of effort or resistance and often implies acceptance or resignation. // the situation of the trapped miners is hopeless

desperate

adjective

ˈde-sp(ə-)rət

Definition of desperate next

as in hopeless

feeling or showing no hope desperate cancer patients who are vulnerable to the claims of unscrupulous quacks

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How does the adjective desperate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of desperate are despairing, despondent, and hopeless. While all these words mean "having lost all or nearly all hope," desperate implies despair that prompts reckless action or violence in the face of defeat or frustration.

one last desperate attempt to turn the tide of battle

Where would despairing be a reasonable alternative to desperate?

While the synonyms despairing and desperate are close in meaning, despairing suggests the slipping away of all hope and often despondency.

despairing appeals for the return of the kidnapped child

When might despondent be a better fit than desperate?

The words despondent and desperate can be used in similar contexts, but despondent implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort.

despondent about yet another rejection

In what contexts can hopeless take the place of desperate?

The meanings of hopeless and desperate largely overlap; however, hopeless suggests despair and the cessation of effort or resistance and often implies acceptance or resignation.

the situation of the trapped miners is hopeless

Examples Sentences

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Recent Examples of desperate As months pass, Sara becomes more and more desperate for freedom in this luminous, unsettling look at technology and surveillance. —

Lizz Schumer, People.com, 27 Dec. 2024 Ripped from her life of domesticity, Santosh, a young widow now desperate to support herself, accepts an opportunity to inherit her husband’s job as a police officer in the rural badlands of India. —

Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 27 Dec. 2024 However, with that situation clearing, there is no desperate need to bring in reinforcements. —

James Pearce, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024 As one of the few original Squid Game cast members returning for the second season, Wi Ha-joon will continue his quest as the police officer Hwang Jun-ho, who is desperate to find his missing brother and ultimately wanders into the sadistic games. —

Jeff Benjamin, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for desperate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperate

Adjective

That doesn’t mean Trump's opponents are facing a hopeless task.

Gunther Peck / Made by History, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
As Queenie, navigating empty relationships and professional disappointments on a journey from self-sabotage to self-worth, Brown makes a whole person from a variety of attitudes — hopeful, hopeless, hungover, exuberant, fretful, thoughtful.

Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024