DESPERATE • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Desperate

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/dˈɛsprɪt/ /dˈɛspərɪt/ Listen

adjective

Desperate adj.

Without hope; given to despair; hopeless. (Obs.) "I am desperate of obtaining her."

Beyond hope; causing despair; extremely perilous; irretrievable; past cure, or, at least, extremely dangerous; as, a desperate disease; desperate fortune.

Proceeding from, or suggested by, despair; without regard to danger or safety; reckless; furious; as, a desperate effort. "Desperate expedients."

Extreme, in a bad sense; outrageous; used to mark the extreme predominance of a bad quality. "A desperate offendress against nature." "The most desperate of reprobates."

Synonyms: Hopeless; despairing; desponding; rash; headlong; precipitate; irretrievable; irrecoverable; forlorn; mad; furious; frantic.

noun

Desperate n. One desperate or hopeless. (Obs.)

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Etymology of 'Desperate'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Desperate" Quotes from Famous Books

... as it would be painful to view this long, courageous, desperate defence of slavery as the pure product of depravity. The South had a cause, in logic, law, and, to an extent, even in justice. Both sides could rightly appeal to the Constitution, the deep, irrepressible antagonism of freedom against bondage having ...

— History of the United States, Volume 3 (of 6) • E. Benjamin Andrews

... machine was roaring like a desperate, cornered thing now; its crawling pace slackening with the steeper inclines, gaining with the lesser raises, then settling once more to the lagging pace as steepness followed steepness, or the abruptness ...

— The White Desert • Courtney Ryley Cooper

... desperate, drew his sword, intending to take their meat by force, and said: 'Forbear and eat no more; I must have your food!' The duke asked him, if distress had made him so bold, or if he were a rude despiser of good manners? On this Orlando said, he was dying with hunger; ...

— Tales from Shakespeare • Charles and Mary Lamb

... have!" answered Harry, "and had a desperate fight too. We killed some of them, and the rest ran off. Lieutenant Bertram, of the police, believes that they will still remain lurking in the neighbourhood, and has come on with some of his men to be ready to act as a guard to the house should father wish it. We have had some exciting work, ...

— The Young Berringtons - The Boy Explorers • W.H.G. Kingston

... was fortunate enough to catch Dr. Turnbull in the hall with one or two others, just as they were about to pass into the consulting room. Such was Sam's desperate state of mind that he went ...

— Corporal Cameron • Ralph Connor

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