Desperate

Desperate is an adjective describing a state of extreme need, despair, or urgency that often prompts drastic or risky actions. It can refer to a person’s emotional condition, a situation’s severity, or the nature of a choice. Desperate for, desperate to, and desperate measures are common collocations. The term can carry a negative connotation, but it can also highlight the strength of necessity rather than moral judgment, as in a desperate situation that demands unconventional solutions.

Etymology: The word ultimately derives from Latin desperatus, the past participle of desperare “to despair,” literally “without hope,” and entered English via Old French and Middle English in the late medieval period. Over time, it broadened from primarily religious or fatal contexts to everyday use describing urgent human experiences.

Usage notes: Desperation is the corresponding noun. Desperate can describe feelings (desperate for love), circumstances (a desperate housing shortage), or actions (a desperate attempt). It is often contrasted with hopeless, which implies no possibility of success, whereas desperation may still coexist with a belief that relief is possible, albeit uncertain. Desperate measures are typically drastic responses to acute crisis.

In culture and language, desperate appears in literature, film, and idioms. Phrases such as “desperate for a solution” or “desperate times call for desperate measures” are common, and the term appears in titles and dialogue to convey urgency or severity.