# desperate

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈdɛs.p(ə.)ɹɪt/ · frequency rank #4,151

## Definitions
1. In dire need (of something); having a dire need or desire.
2. Being filled with, or in a state of, despair; hopeless.
3. Beyond hope, leaving little reason for hope; causing despair; extremely perilous.
4. Involving or employing extreme measures, without regard to danger or safety; reckless due to hopelessness.
5. Extremely bad; outrageous, shocking; intolerable.
6. Intense; extremely intense.

## Etymology
From Middle English desperat(e) (“desperate”), borrowed from Latin dēspērātus, perfect passive participle of dēspērō (“to be without hope”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix). The noun is derived from the adjective or from the Latin source through substantivization, see -ate (noun-forming suffix).

## Easily confused with
- **disparate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/desperate-vs-disparate)
- **desperately** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/desperate-vs-desperately)

## Common misspellings (13)
`ddesperate`, `depserate`, `deseprate`, `despearte`, `desperaet`, `desperatte`, `desperrate`, `despertae`, `despperate`, `despreate`, `dessperate`, `dseperate`, `edsperate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/desperate