desperate
adjective
1. arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
- a desperate cry for help
- helpless and desperate--as if at the end of his tether
- her desperate screams
Similar word(s): hopeless, despairing
2. desperately determined
Similar word(s): resolute
3. (of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair
- a desperate criminal
- taken hostage of desperate men
Similar word(s): dangerous, unsafe
4. showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort
- made a last desperate attempt to reach the climber
- the desperate gallantry of our naval task forces marked the turning point in the Pacific war
Similar word(s): brave, courageous, heroic
5. showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire
- felt a desperate urge to confess
- a desperate need for recognition
Similar word(s): imperative
6. fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
- a desperate illness
- on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel
Similar word(s): critical, dire
Sentences with desperate as an adjective:
- I was so desperate at one point, I even went to see a loan shark.
- a desperate effort
- a desperate disease;
noun
1. a person who is frightened and in need of help
- they prey on the hopes of the desperate
Definition categories: person, unfortunate