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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desperation
What started out of desperation quickly became a calling to build something lasting.
—
Jenn Rice, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Vekić, hampered by an arm injury, was serving as poorly as Gauff, which only heightened the air of desperation in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
McBurrows read Harrell’s eyes the entire way, undercutting the desperation throw and making a diving interception.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 30 Aug. 2025
Her investigation, driven by desperation and a desire for revenge, uncovers dark secrets that no one wanted revealed.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desperation
Jenn Rice, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Vekić, hampered by an arm injury, was serving as poorly as Gauff, which only heightened the air of desperation in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
McBurrows read Harrell’s eyes the entire way, undercutting the desperation throw and making a diving interception.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 30 Aug. 2025
Her investigation, driven by desperation and a desire for revenge, uncovers dark secrets that no one wanted revealed.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desperation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperation
Noun
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As France awaits its next prime minister, Bacharan says many people are in despair over the uncertainty this has brought on the country.—
Eleanor Beardsley,
NPR,
9 Sep. 2025
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Mauricio says his wife didn’t give in to that despair and felt reassured by having a work permit.—
Gustavo Valdés,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Julianne cited her sisters' accomplishments in their own fields, as well as their flourishing personal lives, as a reason why the sadness never flowered into full-on resentment.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
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Shock, anger, sadness, disbelief were words used by multiple senior sources inside the West Wing, ABC News' Katherine Faulders said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Today that sense of hopelessness has been replaced by a sense of determination and a good deal more hope.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
6 Sep. 2025
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Bigelow’s explosively entertaining real-time thriller, told from multiple perspectives at various levels of government from situation room deputies to POTUS (Idris Elba) himself, does not mince on hopelessness.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desperation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperation. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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