ENGLISH
REFERENCE

desperate

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈdɛspɝɪt// UK //dˈɛspəɹət// des·per·ate Dialect General-service

adj. feeling a strong need for something because your situation is very bad. You might feel like you have no hope and will try anything to fix it.

adj. feeling or showing a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with. Often describes actions taken as a last resort when all other options have failed.


SIMPLE

The hungry family was desperate for food.

CONTEXTUAL

The company made a desperate attempt to save money by firing half of its staff overnight.

COMPLEX

As the floodwaters rose, the stranded hikers made a desperate climb toward the higher ridges, knowing their survival depended on reaching the summit before nightfall.

Synonyms
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).

Usage

Often followed by the preposition 'for' or a 'to' infinitive.

Pitfall

he was desperate of helphe was desperate for helpDesperate takes the preposition 'for' when followed by a noun, not 'of'.

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