desperation
C1Formal / General
Definition
Meaning
A state of hopelessness that leads to reckless or extreme action.
A feeling of being so overwhelmed by a difficult situation that one is ready to try anything, no matter how dangerous or unlikely to succeed, because there seems to be no other option.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Desperation is not just sadness or worry; it implies the last stage before action driven by the loss of hope. It is often the cause, not just the description, of a drastic act.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning or usage. Minor differences may occur in surrounding collocational vocabulary.
Connotations
Equally strong in both variants. Often associated with dramatic, life-or-death scenarios.
Frequency
Similar frequency in both corpora; slightly more common in journalistic and literary contexts than in casual speech.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
desperation (for sth)desperation (to do sth)in (sheer) desperationVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “in desperation”
- “a last desperate gamble”
- “grasping at straws”
- “between a rock and a hard place”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Might describe a failing company's 'desperate measures' to avoid bankruptcy.
Academic
Used in psychology, sociology, and literature to analyse extreme human behaviour under pressure.
Everyday
Common in describing personal crises, e.g., 'She called her ex in desperation.'
Technical
Not typically used in STEM fields unless in a metaphorical or human-factors context.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- N/A for 'desperation'. The related verb is 'despair'.
American English
- N/A for 'desperation'. The related verb is 'despair'.
adverb
British English
- N/A for 'desperation'. The related adverb is 'desperately'.
American English
- N/A for 'desperation'. The related adverb is 'desperately'.
adjective
British English
- N/A for 'desperation'. The related adjective is 'desperate'.
American English
- N/A for 'desperation'. The related adjective is 'desperate'.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He cried in desperation.
- In desperation, she searched the whole house for the lost keys.
- The policy was a product of political desperation, conceived not out of conviction but from the necessity to cling to power.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: DESPERATION = DESP(air) + (last-ditch op)ERATION. It's the 'surgical operation' you perform when in total despair.
Conceptual Metaphor
DESPERATION IS A LAST RESORT / DESPERATION IS A DEEP HOLE (from which one cannot climb out).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid confusing with 'отчаяние' (despair) in all cases. 'Desperation' is more active and leads to action, while 'отчаяние' can be a passive state. The adjective 'desperate' ('отчаянный') is a closer match.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'desperation' as an adjective (*a desperation attempt). Use 'desperate' instead. Confusing 'desperation' with 'depression'.
Practice
Quiz
Which phrase best describes the core feeling behind 'desperation'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
While closely related, 'despair' is a deeper, more profound and often passive feeling of complete loss of hope. 'Desperation' is the active, often frantic state that arises from despair, leading to extreme actions.
Rarely. Its connotations are overwhelmingly negative, describing a pathological state. However, it can sometimes motivate a positive, decisive action ('Her desperation to succeed made her work harder').
No, it is an uncountable (mass) noun. You cannot have 'a desperation' or 'two desperations'. You can have 'a feeling of desperation' or 'acts of desperation'.
The prepositional phrase 'in desperation' is the most common colligation, e.g., 'He called her in desperation.' It is also frequently followed by 'for + noun' (desperation for money) or an infinitive (desperation to escape).