desperateadjective
uk/ˈdes.pər.ət/us/ˈdes.pɚ.ət/desperate adjective (SERIOUS)
C2 very serious or bad:
desperate poverty
a desperate shortage of food/supplies
The situation is desperate - we have no food, very little water and no medical supplies.
very great or extreme:
The earthquake survivors are in desperate need of help.
He has a desperate desire to succeed.
informal I'm in a desperate hurry.
More examples
- I felt I couldn't cope with the situation and was in desperate need of some reassurance.
- They spun us a story about being in desperate need of money.
- Her desperate request for help was met with a rebuff.
- They spun us a story about being in desperate need of money.
- This is a desperate situation which requires a truly radical solution.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Serious and severe
- acute
- chronic
- critical
- critically
- dire
- egregious
- gravity
- grievous
- heaviness
- heavy
- mortal
- serious
- seriously
- severely
- severity
- stiff
- stiffness
- swingeing
- terminal
- utmost
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Linguistics: very & extreme
desperate adjective (WANTING)
B2 [ usually after verb ] needing or wanting something very much:
They are desperate for help.
UK humorous I'm desperate for a drink!
[ + to infinitive ] UK humorous He was desperate to tell someone his good news.
More examples
- The fashion industry is always desperate to innovate.
- He seems to have a desperate need to be loved by everyone.
- As he left the theatre, the singer was set upon by fans desperate for autographs.
- I was desperate to find a way out of teaching so when this job came along I snatched at it.
- It was a bit insensitive of Fiona to go on so much about fat people when she knows Mandy is desperate to lose weight.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Wanting things
- ache for sth
- acquisitive
- ambitious
- angle
- angle for sth
- aspirant
- burn
- fancy
- finger
- hang the cost/expense idiom
- hanker after/for sth
- have your eye on sth idiom
- hunger
- hunger after/for sth
- set your sights on sth idiom
- shook
- sight
- sth is calling you idiom
- straw
- tempt
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desperate adjective (RISKY)
B2 feeling that you have no hope and are ready to do anything to change the bad situation you are in:
The doctors made one last desperate attempt/effort to save the boy's life.
Desperate measures are needed to deal with the growing drug problem.
They made a desperate plea for help.
willing to be violent, and therefore dangerous:
This man is desperate and should not be approached since he may have a gun.
More examples
- It was a desperate attempt to salvage the situation.
- The government took desperate measures to keep the economy running.
- I'm not so desperate as to agree to that.
- Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets in a desperate attempt to maintain control.
- Villagers used sandbags in a desperate attempt to save their homes from the flood water.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Dangers and threats
- baneful
- black spot
- brinkmanship
- calculated risk
- chance
- darkly
- desperately
- dodgy
- firetrap
- hazard
- hazardous
- hazmat
- high-risk
- hostage
- perilous
- poisoned chalice
- precarious
- pull
- pull a gun, knife, etc. on sb idiom
- treacherous
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Violent or aggressive