as in hopeless
feeling or showing no hope
desperate cancer patients who are vulnerable to the claims of unscrupulous quacks
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desperate
There is also a desperate need for humanitarian assistance for those who are living in poverty, as well as investment in parts of the economy that won’t necessarily produce a financial return, said Alejandro Velasco, a New York University professor and expert on Venezuela.
—
Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Women and their physicians are in desperate need of a history lesson.
—Patricia Bencivenga, STAT, 8 Jan. 2026
Erdoğan changed course in 2023 and brought in new central-bank leadership who jacked interest rates to nearly 50 percent and plunged the country into a recession in a desperate effort to restore credibility.
—Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
The Jets follow the Raiders, and both teams are in desperate need of a franchise quarterback.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desperate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperate
Adjective
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The Knights could only manage a hopeless heave from well beyond halfcourt at the buzzer.—
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Produced by Feingold’s Romantical and distributed by Level33, the film follows Leo Kadner (Feingold), a hopeless romantic New Yorker who reconnects with his childhood crush Eva Shapiro (Sarah Coffey) while preparing for his 31-year-old Bar Mitzvah.—
Adjective
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This is a no-win situation because one of us will end up unhappy.—
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The automaker spent much of the year undoing decisions made by the previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, who resigned at the end of 2024, as stakeholders in the company — from dealers to union rank and file — were upset with him and unhappy with his leadership.—
Adjective
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In Democratic cities, people demand 38 meetings and three dozen environmental assessments before tearing down a crack den to build a nursery for sad orphans.—
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Although there are infinitely many happy numbers there are also infinitely many sad ones.—
Adjective
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Arsenal go into the break disappointed, but not disheartened.—
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However, all three playoff games in the series were won by the road team, including Friday night’s decisive match before a sorely disappointed crowd of 34,473 that filled the lower bowl at Bank of America Stadium.—
Adjective
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Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.—
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In the current political climate, the girl is despairing.—
Adjective
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The shootout in the finale felt ripped from another (lesser) series, Sarah Catherine Hook’s monologue as Piper, now wanting to wash Thailand off her, just a bit of a pat cheat (and a more cynical White on display).—
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Yes, our political leaders have given some of us reason to be resentful, cynical and even depressed.—
Adjective
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Instead of getting despondent about it, it was used as a motivation.—
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But in a world that is actively and effectively doing its best to keep us despondent, depressed, and disconnected, keeping our spirits clean is easier said than done.—
Adjective
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After Anna disappeared, Alice was heartbroken.—
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A day after the shooting, Chez’s heartbroken parents proclaimed at a press conference outside the 101st Precinct stationhouse in Far Rockaway that their son posed no threat.—
Cite this Entry
“Desperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperate. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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