WordWeb Online

1. Arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
   "a desperate cry for help"; "helpless and desperate--as if at the end of his tether"; "her desperate screams";
   - despairing
    
2. Desperately determined
   "desperate revolutionaries";
   - do-or-die
    
3. (of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair
   "a desperate criminal"; "taken hostage of desperate men"
    
4. Showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort
   "made a last desperate attempt to reach the climber"; "the desperate gallantry of our naval task forces marked the turning point in the Pacific war";
   - heroic
    
5. Showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire
   "felt a desperate urge to confess"; "a desperate need for recognition"
    
6. Fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
   "a desperate illness"; "on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel";
   - dire

1. A person who is frightened and in need of help
   "they prey on the hopes of the desperate"

Derived forms: desperates

See also: brave, courageous, critical, dangerous, hopeless, imperative, resolute, unsafe

Type of: unfortunate, unfortunate person

Encyclopedia: Desperate