desperate

adjective

/ˈdespərət/

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feeling or showing that you have little hope and are ready to do anything without worrying about danger to yourself or others
- The prisoners grew increasingly desperate.
- Stores are getting desperate after two years of poor sales.
- Somewhere out there was a desperate man, cold, hungry, hunted.
- I heard sounds of a desperate struggle in the next room.
Extra Examples
- I was starting to get desperate.
- She felt utterly desperate.
- The sudden loss of his money had made him desperate.
Topics Feelingsb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- feel
- look
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
preposition
- about
See full entry
[usually before noun] (of an action) giving little hope of success; tried when everything else has failed
- He made a desperate bid for freedom.
- She clung to the edge in a desperate attempt to save herself.
- His increasing financial difficulties forced him to take desperate measures.
- Doctors were fighting a desperate battle to save the little girl's life.
Extra Examples
- a desperate search for a way out
- Jake held up his hands in a desperate plea for calm.
- Kaleil's final, desperate efforts to save the business come to naught.
Topics Difficulty and failureb2
[not usually before noun] needing or wanting something very much
- desperate for something He was so desperate for a job he would have done anything.
- (informal) I'm desperate for a cigarette.
- to be desperate for money/help/cash/attention
- desperate to do something I was absolutely desperate to see her.
- She was desperate to escape small town life.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- feel
- look
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
preposition
- about
See full entry
(of a situation) extremely serious or dangerous
- The children are in desperate need of love and attention.
- They face a desperate shortage of clean water.
- His financial situation was desperate.
- He had died in desperate poverty.
- American farmers are in desperate straits today.
Topics Dangerb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- feel
- look
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
preposition
- about
See full entry

Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘in despair’): from Latin desperatus ‘deprived of hope’, past participle of desperare, from de- ‘down from’ + sperare ‘to hope’.

单词	desperate
释义	desperate adjective /ˈdespərət/ /ˈdespərət/ jump to other results feeling or showing that you have little hope and are ready to do anything without worrying about danger to yourself or others The prisoners grew increasingly desperate. Stores are getting desperate after two years of poor sales. Somewhere out there was a desperate man, cold, hungry, hunted. I heard sounds of a desperate struggle in the next room. Extra Examples I was starting to get desperate. She felt utterly desperate. The sudden loss of his money had made him desperate. Topics Feelingsb2 Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs be feel look … adverb extremely fairly very … preposition about See full entry [usually before noun] (of an action) giving little hope of success; tried when everything else has failed He made a desperate bid for freedom. She clung to the edge in a desperate attempt to save herself. His increasing financial difficulties forced him to take desperate measures. Doctors were fighting a desperate battle to save the little girl's life. Extra Examples a desperate search for a way out Jake held up his hands in a desperate plea for calm. Kaleil's final, desperate efforts to save the business come to naught. Topics Difficulty and failureb2 [not usually before noun] needing or wanting something very much desperate for something He was so desperate for a job he would have done anything. (informal) I'm desperate for a cigarette. to be desperate for money/help/cash/attention desperate to do something I was absolutely desperate to see her. She was desperate to escape small town life. Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs be feel look … adverb extremely fairly very … preposition about See full entry (of a situation) extremely serious or dangerous The children are in desperate need of love and attention. They face a desperate shortage of clean water. His financial situation was desperate. He had died in desperate poverty. American farmers are in desperate straits today. Topics Dangerb2 Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs be feel look … adverb extremely fairly very … preposition about See full entry Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘in despair’): from Latin desperatus ‘deprived of hope’, past participle of desperare, from de- ‘down from’ + sperare ‘to hope’.
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