请输入您要查询的英文单词：

　

单词 desperate
释义

Trends of
desperate

View usage for:

desperate

(despərət)
1. adjective
If you are desperate, you are in such a bad situation that you are willing to try anything to change it.
Troops are needed to help get food to the people in desperate need.
Desperate with anxiety, Bob and Hans searched the whole house.
He made a desperate attempt to hijack a plane.
Synonyms: grave, great, pressing, serious More Synonyms of desperate
desperately adverb [ADVERB with verb]
Thousands are desperately trying to leave their battered homes.
Synonyms: gravely, badly, seriously, severely More Synonyms of desperate
Synonyms: hopelessly, appallingly, shockingly, frightfully More Synonyms of desperate
2. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE, usually ADJECTIVE to-infinitive]
If you are desperate for something or desperate to do something, you want or need it very much indeed.
They'd been married nearly four years and June was desperate to start a family.
People are desperate for him to do something. [+ for]
Synonyms: eager, longing, keen, raring More Synonyms of desperate
desperately adverb [ADVERB with verb]
He was a boy who desperately needed affection.
Synonyms: gravely, badly, seriously, severely More Synonyms of desperate
Synonyms: hopelessly, appallingly, shockingly, frightfully More Synonyms of desperate
Synonyms: urgently, intensely, with urgency, pressingly More Synonyms of desperate
3. adjective
A desperate situation is very difficult, serious, or dangerous.
India's United Nations ambassador said the situation is desperate.
I decided not to abandon John when he was in such a desperate position.
More Synonyms of desperate

desperate in British English

(ˈdɛspərɪt, -prɪt)
adjective
1. 
careless of danger, as from despair; utterly reckless
2. 
(of an act) reckless; risky
3. 
used or undertaken in desperation or as a last resort
desperate measures
4. 
critical; very grave
in desperate need
5. (often postpositive and foll by for)
in distress and having a great need or desire
6. 
moved by or showing despair or hopelessness; despairing
Derived forms
desperately (ˈdesperately)
adverb
desperateness (ˈdesperateness)
noun
Word origin
C15: from Latin dēspērāre to have no hope; see despair

desperate in American English

(ˈdɛspərɪt)
adjective
1. 
a. 
driven to or resulting from loss of hope; rash or violent because of despair
a desperate criminal
b. 
having a very great desire, need, etc.
desperate for affection
2. 
offering so little chance, as for improvement, as to cause despair; extremely dangerous or serious
a desperate illness
3. 
extreme; drastic
in desperate need
4.  Archaic
despairing; without hope
SIMILAR WORDS:  ˈhopeless
Derived forms
desperately (ˈdesperately)
adverb
desperateness (ˈdesperateness)
noun
Word origin
ME desperat < L desperatus, pp. of desperare: see despair

Examples of 'desperate' in a sentence
desperate

I'd be lost in the thousands of yelling fans desperate to welcome Jett back in triumph to his home town.
Val McDermid DEAD BEAT (2002)
Certainly for him things are never going to be more desperate.
Anthony Masters CASCADES - THE DAY OF THE DEAD (2002)
Everything had been so emotional, and she had been desperate for anyone but Hank's approval.
Karin Slaughter KISSCUT (2002)

In other languages
desperate

British English: desperate /ˈdɛspərɪt; -prɪt/ ADJECTIVE
If you are desperate, you are in such a bad situation that you will try anything to change it.
He was desperate to get back to the city.
  • American English: desperate
  • Arabic: يَائِس
  • Brazilian Portuguese: desesperado
  • Chinese: 绝望的
  • Croatian: očajan
  • Czech: zoufalý
  • Danish: desperat
  • Dutch: wanhopig
  • European Spanish: desesperado
  • Finnish: epätoivoinen
  • French: désespéré
  • German: verzweifelt
  • Greek: απελπισμένος
  • Italian: disperato
  • Japanese: 必死の
  • Korean: 절망적인
  • Norwegian: desperat
  • Polish: zdesperowany
  • European Portuguese: desesperado
  • Romanian: disperat
  • Russian: отчаянный
  • Latin American Spanish: desesperado
  • Swedish: desperat
  • Thai: ซึ่งสิ้นหวัง
  • Turkish: umutsuz
  • Ukrainian: відчайдушний
  • Vietnamese: liều lĩnh

Chinese translation of 'desperate'

desperate

(ˈdɛspərɪt)

adj

  1. [person] 绝(絕)望的 (juéwàng de)
  2. [attempt, effort] 铤(鋌)而走险(險)的 (tǐng ér zǒu xiǎn de)
  3. [situation] 危急的 (wēijí de)
  4. [criminal, person] 不顾(顧)死活的 (bùgù sǐhuó de)
    to be desperate for sth/to do sth 极(極)想某事/做某事 (jí xiǎng mǒushì/zuò mǒushì)
1 (adjective) 
Definition
willing to do anything to improve one's situation
Her people were poor, desperate and starving.
Synonyms
hopeless
Even able pupils feel hopeless about job prospects.
despairing
a despairing couple who turned to a therapist for help
in despair
forlorn
a forlorn effort to keep from losing my mind
abject
Both of them suffered abject poverty.
dejected
Everyone has days when they feel dejected or down.
despondent
He often felt despondent after these meetings.
demoralized
wretched
The wretched look on the dog's face melted his heart.
disconsolate
I was disconsolate when the relationship ended.
inconsolable
When my mother died I was inconsolable.
downhearted
Don't be so downhearted.
at the end of your tether
2 (adjective) 
Definition
having a great need or desire
She was desperate to find a new job.
Synonyms
eager
Robert was eager to talk about life in the Army.
longing
The dog cast longing looks at the food on the table.
keen
a keen amateur photographer
raring
hungry
I was hungry to be an actor.
enthusiastic
The band drew a huge and enthusiastic crowd.
yearning
impatient
They are impatient for jobs and security.
up for it (informal)
keen as mustard
3 (adjective) 
Definition
very grave
Troops are needed to get food to people in desperate need.
Synonyms
grave
He says the situation in his country is very grave.
great
his pronouncements on the great political matters of the age
pressing
There is a pressing need for more funds.
serious
His condition was serious but stable.
critical
Ten of the injured are said to be in a critical condition.
acute
The war aggravated an acute economic crisis.
severe
a business with severe cash flow problems
extreme
people living in extreme poverty
urgent
There is an urgent need for food and water.
dire
We found ourselves in a dire predicament.
drastic
Drastic measures are needed.
very grave
4 (adjective) 
Definition
(of an action) undertaken as a last resort
a desperate rescue attempt
Synonyms
last-ditch
a last-ditch attempt to prevent civil war
dangerous
daring
determined
wild
I was just a kid and full of wild ideas.
violent
furious
A furious gunbattle ensued.
last-minute
She was doing some last-minute revision for her exams.
risky
frantic
rash
Don't do anything rash until the feelings subside.
hazardous
precipitate
I don't think we should make any precipitate decisions.
last-resort
hasty
Let's not be hasty.
audacious
an audacious plan to win the presidency
madcap
They flitted from one madcap scheme to another.
foolhardy
He had to be restrained from foolhardy action.
eleventh-hour
headstrong
impetuous
He tended to act in a heated and impetuous way.
death-defying

Additional synonyms

in the sense of abject
Definition
utterly miserable
Both of them suffered abject poverty.
Synonyms
wretched,
miserable,
hopeless,
dismal,
outcast,
pitiful,
forlorn,
deplorable,
pitiable
in the sense of acute
Definition
(of a disease) sudden and severe
The war aggravated an acute economic crisis.
Synonyms
serious,
important,
dangerous,
critical,
crucial (informal),
alarming,
severe,
grave,
sudden,
urgent,
decisive
in the sense of audacious
Definition
recklessly bold or daring
an audacious plan to win the presidency
Synonyms
daring,
enterprising,
brave,
bold,
risky,
rash,
adventurous,
reckless,
courageous,
fearless,
intrepid,
valiant,
daredevil,
death-defying,
dauntless,
venturesome

Synonyms of 'desperate'

desperate

Explore 'desperate' in the dictionary
随便看

　

英语词典包含298861条英英释义在线翻译词条，基本涵盖了全部常用单词的英英翻译及用法，是英语学习的有利工具。

　

Copyright © 2004-2022 Newdu.com All Rights Reserved
更新时间：2024/11/11 13:49:10