as in despair
utter loss of hope
during the famine her desperation drove her to do things she wouldn't have normally considered
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Recent Examples of desperation
Brace for desperation Having blown a 15-point lead in the second half of Game 3 against a Spurs team down one Victor Wembanyama, the Trail Blazers are likely to come into Game 4 in desperation mode.
—
Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Apr. 2026
The Avs could complete the sweep in a series that has featured plenty of textbook checking and defensive play from the Kings, but just four goals and two that weren’t desperation 6-on-4 tallies.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Nerves come into play, desperation takes hold, and, for the players, reputations are there to be made as title chases and relegation scraps enter their most crucial stretch.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Instead, Isaac infused him with vulnerability and desperation, turning a small supporting role into something memorable.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desperation
Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Apr. 2026
The Avs could complete the sweep in a series that has featured plenty of textbook checking and defensive play from the Kings, but just four goals and two that weren’t desperation 6-on-4 tallies.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Nerves come into play, desperation takes hold, and, for the players, reputations are there to be made as title chases and relegation scraps enter their most crucial stretch.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Instead, Isaac infused him with vulnerability and desperation, turning a small supporting role into something memorable.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desperation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperation
Noun
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The play charts his despair and hope, as well as his unlikely romance with a prison volunteer (Tessa Thompson).—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Denials, appeals and habeas corpus Juan and Donovan’s emotions swing wildly between hope and despair, depending on the day.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The scene where Artax the horse gets stuck in the swamps of sadness?—
Redazione People,
Vanity Fair,
27 Apr. 2026
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Family members said it’s been a long road of frustration, agony and sadness watching Hitchcock’s death sentences get overturned three times amid the nearly a dozen appeals his attorneys have filed over the decades.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The other featured a comeback that saw hopelessness turn into jubilation.—
Peter Warren,
Houston Chronicle,
28 Mar. 2026
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For her and many other Iranians who spoke to CNN – their surnames withheld to protect their identities – the past three weeks have been filled with a sense of hopelessness and fear.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desperation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperation. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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