desperate

adjective
UK: /ˈdes.pər.ət/
US: /ˈdes.pɚ.ət/

  1. Feeling or showing that you have little hope and are ready to do anything to improve the situation.

    1. I'm desperate for a job; I'll take anything right now. [ ] [ ]
    2. The situation is desperate, and we need to find a solution quickly before it worsens. [ ] [ ]

  2. Very serious or bad.

    1. He was in desperate need of money. [ ] [ ]
    2. After losing his job, he found himself in a desperate financial situation he couldn't easily fix. [ ] [ ]

  3. Needing or wanting something very much.

    1. She was desperate to see her family. [ ] [ ]
    2. I was desperate for some good news after such a long string of terrible events. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

hopeless urgent anxious critical dire eager
desperate adverb

  1. In a way that shows you are willing to do anything to change a very bad situation.

    1. He looked around desperately. [ ] [ ]
    2. She clung to the hope that things would improve, searching desperately for any sign of change. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "desperate" in English means: Feeling or showing that you have little hope and are ready to do anything to improve the situation., Very serious or bad., Needing or wanting something very much..

The phonetic transcription of "desperate" is /ˈdes.pər.ət/ in British English and /ˈdes.pɚ.ət/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "desperate": hopeless, urgent, anxious, critical, dire, eager.

Example usage of "desperate": "I'm desperate for a job; I'll take anything right now.". More examples on the page.