Skip to main content

noun

desperation

CEFR B2

a state in which all hope is lost or absent

In a sentence

Six example sentences with desperation, each labelled with its topic.

  • Down eleven with a minute left, the coach called a full-court press out of pure desperation.

    Basketball

  • The second act works because you can read desperation on the pilot's face long before anyone in the cabin says anything.

    Movies

  • Six weeks of runway left and no term sheet, the founders emailed every investor they had ever met, out of desperation.

    Startups

  • Investors sold in desperation as the fund gated withdrawals, accepting pennies for shares that had cost dollars.

    Finance

  • With one health point left, the player drank the last potion out of desperation and charged the boss.

    Gaming

  • The heroine's letter is written in desperation, every line pleading for money before the rent falls due.

    Literature

Study desperation until you keep it

Learn English words in sentences about topics you pick, with a quick quiz. With an account, words come back for review.

Found in these word lists

Each source is a published word list that contains desperation. No exam board publishes an official GRE, GMAT or SAT list; GMAT words come from GRE lists and the Academic Word List.