desperation
noun/ˌdespəˈreɪʃn/
/ˌdespəˈreɪʃn/
[uncountable]- the state of being desperate
- in desperation In desperation, she called Louise and asked for her help.
- There was a note of desperation in his voice.
- an act of sheer desperation
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsc2- Driven to desperation by our noisy neighbours, we called the police.
- In desperation, I decided to try acupuncture.
- In his desperation to escape, Tom had slipped and broken a leg.
- Many of us feel a quiet desperation at the future.
- She became a thief out of sheer desperation.
- The robbery was an act of desperation.
- We realized with a sense of growing desperation that nobody knew we were in there.
- With strength born of desperation, she managed to break down the door.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- pure
- sheer
- quiet
- …
- hint
- note
- feel
- drive somebody to
- in (your) desperation
- out of desperation
- desperation about
- …
- an act of desperation
- courage, strength, etc. born of desperation
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French, from Latin desperatio(n-), from the verb desperare, from de- ‘down from’ + sperare ‘to hope’.Definitions on the go
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desperation