Noun
- 1. desperate, unfortunate, unfortunate person
- usage: a person who is frightened and in need of help; "they prey on the hopes of the desperate"
Adjective
- 1. despairing, desperate, hopeless (vs. hopeful)
- usage: arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope; "a despairing view of the world situation"; "the last despairing plea of the condemned criminal"; "a desperate cry for help"; "helpless and desperate--as if at the end of his tether"; "her desperate screams"
- 2. desperate, do-or-die(prenominal), resolute (vs. irresolute)
- usage: desperately determined; "do-or-die revolutionaries"; "a do-or-die conflict"
- 3. desperate, dangerous (vs. safe), unsafe
- usage: (of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair; "a desperate criminal"; "taken hostage of desperate men"
- 4. desperate, heroic, brave (vs. cowardly), courageous
- usage: 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"- G.C.Marshall; "they took heroic measures to save his life"
- 5. desperate, imperative (vs. beseeching)
- usage: showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire; "felt a desperate urge to confess"; "a desperate need for recognition"
- 6. desperate, dire, critical (vs. noncritical)
- usage: fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless; "a desperate illness"; "on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel"- G.C.Marshall; "a dire emergency"
WordNet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University.
All rights reserved.Definition and meaning of desperate (Dictionary)