desperation
/ˌdɛspəˈɹeɪʃən/
desperation means the act of despairing or becoming desperate; a giving up of hope. It carries an Arena rating of 1433, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, desperation ranks #491 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #1,264 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #3,375 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #4,573 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
desperation is pronounced /ˌdɛspəˈɹeɪʃən/.
Why “desperation” is a great word
A state of hopelessness that leads to reckless or extreme action, from Middle English *desperacioun*, via Middle French *desperation*, from Latin *dēspērātiō*, *dēspērātiōnis*, from *dēspērāre* ("to despair"), first attested in the late 14th century. Unlike "despair," which sinks into a hollowed-out stillness, or "determination," which marches forward with steady fire, desperation is hopelessness weaponized, a frantic resolve born from extreme distress. It is the gambler's last wager on ruined credit, the drowning swimmer clawing at his rescuer, the quiet hand reaching for any debris to delay the end—the moment when the absence of options becomes its own terrible engine, and the will to act severs itself from the hope of success.
Etymology
From Middle English desperacion, desperacioun, desperation, disparacion, disperacion, disperacioun, dispiracioune, dysperacioun, from Middle French desperation and its etymon Latin dēspērātiō, dēspērātiōnis. By surface analysis, desperate + -ion.
noun
- The act of despairing or becoming desperate; a giving up of hope.e.g.“in desperation”
- A state of despair, or utter hopelessness; abandonment of hope.e.g.“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.” — 1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Economy”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 10:
- Reckless fury.e.g.“"The PM’s private reassurances are worthless given her track record of u-turns and her clear desperation to cling to power."” — 2017 June 11, “DUP leader hails 'good progress' with Theresa May”, in The Scotsman, archived from the original on 10 Jul 2025:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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