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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary des·per·ate ETYMOLOGY Latin desperatus, past participle of desperare DATE 15th century 1. a. having lost hope a desperate spirit crying for relief b. giving no ground for hope the outlook was desperate 2. a. moved by despair victims made desperate by abuse b. involving or employing extreme measures in an attempt to escape defeat or frustration made a desperate leap for the rope 3. suffering extreme need or anxiety desperate for money 4. involving extreme danger or possible disaster a desperate situation 5. of extreme intensity 6. shocking , outrageous Synonyms: see despondent • des·per·ate·ness noun English Etymology desperate late 15c., "despairing, hopeless," from L. desperatus "given up, despaired of," pp. of desperare (see despair). Sense of "driven to recklessness" is from late 15c.; weakened sense of "having a great desire for" is from 1950s. Related: Desperately. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 ☞ desperate des·per·ate / 5despErEt / adjective1. feeling or showing that you have little hope and are ready to do anything without worrying about danger to yourself or others (因绝望而)不惜冒险的,不顾一切的,拚命的: The prisoners grew increasingly desperate. 犯人因绝望而越来越胆大妄为。 Stores are getting desperate after two years of poor sales. 两年来销路不畅,商店不惜冒起险来。 Somewhere out there was a desperate man, cold, hungry, hunted. 那外面有个男人又冷又饿,还有人抓他,走投无路了。 I heard sounds of a desperate struggle in the next room. 我听到隔壁房间里有拚命挣扎的声音。 2. [usually before noun] (of an action 行为) giving little hope of success; tried when everything else has failed 绝望的；孤注一掷的；铤而走险的: a desperate bid for freedom 孤注一掷争取自由的努力 She clung to the edge in a desperate attempt to save herself. 为了活命,她拚命抓住边缘。 His increasing financial difficulties forced him to take desperate measures. 不断增加的经济困难迫使他采取了铤而走险的办法。 Doctors were fighting a desperate battle to save the little girl's life. 医生们不惜一切地奋力抢救小女孩的生命。 3. [not usually before noun] ~ (for sth) | ~ (to do sth) needing or wanting sth very much 非常需要；极想；渴望: He was so desperate for a job he would have done anything. 他当时太想找份工作了,什么事都愿意干。 I was absolutely desperate to see her. 我极想见到她。 (informal) I'm desperate for a cigarette. 我很想抽支烟。 4. (of a situation 情况) extremely serious or dangerous 极严重的；极危险的；很危急的: The children are in desperate need of love and attention. 这些孩子非常需要爱心和关怀。 They face a desperate shortage of clean water. 他们面临无污染水源的严重短缺。 • des·per·ate·ly adv.: desperately ill / unhappy / lonely 病得厉害；极为不快；极其孤独 He took a deep breath, desperately trying to keep calm. 他深深地吸了口气,竭尽全力保持镇定。 They desperately wanted a child. 他们非常想要一个孩子。 She looked desperately around for a weapon. 她在四下里找,急于弄到一件武器。 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English desperate adj. VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get I was starting to get desperate. | make sb The sudden loss of his money had made him desperate. ADV. really | absolutely, utterly She felt utterly desperate. | increasingly | almost | a little, pretty, rather PREP. about I felt desperate about my future. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus-11th Edition adj. Function: adjective 1 Synonyms: DESPONDENT , despairing, desponding, forlorn, hopeless Related Words: foolhardy, rash, reckless, venturesome; headlong, precipitate; baffled, balked, circumvented, foiled, frustrated, outwitted, thwarted Contrasted Words: collected, composed, cool, nonchalant; assured, confident, sanguine, sure 2 Synonyms: ACUTE 6, climacteric, critical, crucial, dire 3 Synonyms: INTENSE 1, concentrated, exquisite, fierce, furious, terrible, vehement, vicious, violent 4 Synonyms: OUTRAGEOUS 2, atrocious, crying, heinous, monstrous, scandalous, shockingWebster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged des·per·ate I. \ˈdesp(ə)rə̇]t, -pər]t, usu ]d.+V\ adjective Etymology: Latin desperatus, past participle of desperare to despair — more at despair 1. : having lost hope : yielding to despair < he seemed, somehow, helpless and desperate, as if he had come to the end of his tether — Rose Macaulay > : giving no ground for hope < the prospect was not only grim, it was desperate. Britain stood alone; Dunkirk, for all its heroism, had been a disaster — H.S.Commager > 2. a. : moved by despair < there is reason to believe that they jumped overboard of their own will, made desperate at the sight of the sacrifice of a brother — B.N.Cardozo > : likely to seize at wild vain hopes < act with the folly and extravagance of desperate men — Adam Smith > : involving the adoption of grim, rash, or otherwise extreme measures to escape defeat or frustration < they have gradually lost faith in their own traditional ways and are ready for any desperate attempt to catch up with modern civilization — M.H.Trytten > b. : arising from or indicative of extreme need or pressure of circumstance < those artists whom the presage of an early death stimulates to a desperate activity — Roger Fry > < had conceived the desperate idea of seeking the family fortune in the United States — Helen B. Woodward > c. : facing the worst with resolution and disregard of the cost < it found her despairing: it left her desperate — two different states — Charlotte Brontë > especially : exerting one's last ounce of energy in a do-or-die effort < the desperate gallantry of our naval task forces marked the turning point in the Pacific — G.C.Marshall > < there is such a thing as a desperate pursuit of Truth; a pursuit fierce, relentless, absorbing — J.C.Powys > d. : suffering extreme need or anxiety < the old lady was desperate for money — Mary R. Rinehart > < desperate for something to do — F.L.Keefe > < in sudden terror at his tone, desperate to please him — B.A.Williams > 3. a. (1) : devoid of any reasonable hope of betterment, solution, success, or salvation < that A is in affluent circumstances while B is in desperatestraits, with heavy responsibilities — W.M.Sibley > < for many institutions, the financial stringency which had been desperate during the war — T.L.Hungate > (2) : practically irretrievable : uncollectible < a desperate debt > b. : fraught with extreme danger or impending disaster : crucial < on all the fighting fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of adequate materiel — G.C.Marshall > < the question of defense has been desperate for Israel from the day it became a state in 1948 — Claire Sterling > c. : suited to or incited by an all but hopeless situation < the bitter, desperate striving unto death of the oppressed race — Rose Macaulay > < iron plates which Renwick had a desperate time getting because of the war — James Dugan > 4. : of extreme intensity : overpowering , overmastering , vehement < I take desperate likes and dislikes — John Buchan > < a desperate languor descended heavily upon her, and she slept — Elinor Wylie > < two archrivals may be seen avoiding each other with desperatezeal — R.D.Altick > 5. : shocking , outrageous < everywhere there was a desperate grime and greasiness — William McFee > < sentimentality is a desperate word to hurl at an artist of any kind — Herbert Read > Synonyms: see despondent II. noun (-s) 1. archaic : a person in desperate condition or circumstances 2. obsolete : a desperate character : desperado 2III. adverb dialect : desperately IV. \-pəˌrāt\ transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) : to render desperate |
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