Meaning & Definition of Desperate in English

1. A person who is frightened and in need of help

• "They prey on the hopes of the desperate"

1. 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. Desperately determined

• "Do-or-die revolutionaries"

• "A do-or-die conflict"

3. (of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair

• "A desperate criminal"

• "Taken hostage of desperate men"

4. 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. Showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire

• "Felt a desperate urge to confess"

• "A desperate need for recognition"

6. 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"