Added 9 October 2026
desperate
/ˈdɛs.p(ə.)ɹɪt/ adjective
In Latin: dēspērātus Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about desperate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
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
adverb
noun
- A person in desperate circumstances or who is at the point of desperation, such as a down-and-outer, addict, etc.
Origin
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).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)