What does DESPERATION mean?

Definitions for DESPERATION
ˌdɛs pəˈreɪ ʃəndes·per·a·tion

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word DESPERATION.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. despair, desperationnoun

    a state in which all hope is lost or absent

    "in the depths of despair"; "they were rescued from despair at the last minute"; "courage born of desperation"

  2. desperationnoun

    desperate recklessness

    "it was a policy of desperation"

Wiktionary

  1. desperationnoun

    The act of despairing or becoming desperate; a giving up of hope.

  2. desperationnoun

    A state of despair, or utter hopeless; abandonment of hope; extreme recklessness; reckless fury.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Desperationnoun

    Hopelesness; despair; despondency.

    Etymology: from desperate.

    Desperation
    Is all the policy, strength, and defence,
    That Rome can make against them. William Shakespeare, Coriolanus.

    As long as we are guilty of any past sin, and have no promise of remission, whatever our future care be, this desperation of success chills all our industry, and we sin on, because we have sinned. Henry Hammond, on Fundamentals.

ChatGPT

  1. desperation

    Desperation is a state of despair or hopelessness, typically resulting from a difficult or urgent situation. It is often characterized by reckless or extreme behavior due to the lack of viable solutions or options.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Desperationnoun

    the act of despairing or becoming desperate; a giving up of hope

  2. Desperationnoun

    a state of despair, or utter hopeless; abandonment of hope; extreme recklessness; reckless fury

  3. Etymology: [L. desperatio: cf. OF. desperation.]

Wikidata

  1. Desperation

    Desperation is a horror novel by Stephen King. It was published in 1996 at the same time as its "mirror" novel, The Regulators. It was made into a TV film starring Ron Perlman, Tom Skeritt, and Steven Weber in 2006. The two novels represent parallel universes relative to one another, and most of the characters present in one novel's world also exist in the other novel's reality, albeit in different circumstances.

Matched Categories

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce DESPERATION?

How to say DESPERATION in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of DESPERATION in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of DESPERATION in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of DESPERATION in a Sentence

  1. Kevin Gillespie:

    I had never even seen 'Top Chef.' I didn't know what I was getting into, i did it out of desperation. Woodfire Grill was struggling to get people in the seats. I've never been good at failure, and so I was willing to do anything.

  2. Vernon Howard:

    Your central self is totally untouched By grief, confusion, desperation.

  3. Colonel Sani Usman:

    Although details are not clear, it is important to note the attacks signify high level of desperation on the part of the Boko Haram terrorists.

  4. Sidney Crosby:

    You have to find that level of desperation for the entire game.

  5. Michiel Hofman:

    It is too early to judge the medical impact of the foreign military... but the call of desperation as a last resort unleashed a wave of international support.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

DESPERATION#10000#23875#100000

Translations for DESPERATION

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for DESPERATION »

Translation

Find a translation for the DESPERATION definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"DESPERATION." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 4 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/DESPERATION>.

Discuss these DESPERATION definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for DESPERATION? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    lacking orderly continuity
    A disjointed
    B hatched
    C nasty
    D aligned

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for DESPERATION: