desperation

[ des-puh-rey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the state of being desperate or of having the recklessness of despair.
2. the act or fact of despairing; despair.

desperation

/ ˌdɛspəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. desperate recklessness
2. the act of despairing or the state of being desperate

Word History and Origins

Origin of desperation¹

1325–75; Middle English desperacioun < Latin dēspērātiōn- (stem of dēspērātiō ). See desperate, -ion

Synonym Study

See despair.

Example Sentences

The family of a British couple still missing after a tourist boat sank in the Red Sea have spoken of their "desperation" as they wait for news.

From BBC

But in his election campaign, Ramgoolam and his allies in the Change coalition described the agreement as a "sell-out" motivated by desperation ahead of the vote.

From BBC

“Well then he is, by definition, incompetent,” said an expert I’d interviewed for a previous story, whom I called in desperation.

From Salon

She liked Ruth’s loyalty, her wildness, her desperation.

From New York Times

In her desperation, she visited a “clinic” offering an unconventional “treatment” - an outlandish and disturbing scam preying on women desperate to become mothers that involves the trafficking of babies.

From BBC

Related Words

• agony
• anguish
• anxiety
• desolation
• despair
• discomfort
• fear
• gloom
• grief
• heartache
• melancholy
• misery
• pain
• sorrow
• unhappiness