Need another word that means the same as “desperate”? Find 36 synonyms and 30 related words for “desperate” in this overview.
The synonyms of “Desperate” are: dire, despairing, heroic, hopeless, last-ditch, last-minute, all-out, final, grave, serious, dangerous, risky, perilous, hazardous, precarious, critical, acute, urgent, pressing, compelling, crying, violent, lawless, awful, terrible, appalling, abysmal, very bad, atrocious, unspeakable, frightful, miserable, in great need of, in want of, lacking, wanting
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “desperate” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
| abysmal | Very great; limitless. The quality of her work is abysmal. |
| acute | Denoting or designed for patients with an acute form of a disease. An acute or critical lack of research funds. |
| all-out | Using all available resources. |
| appalling | Causing consternation. The cat suffered appalling injuries during the attack. |
| atrocious | Of a very poor quality; extremely bad or unpleasant. He attempted an atrocious imitation of my English accent. |
| awful | Used to emphasize the extent of something, especially something unpleasant or negative. The place smelled awful. |
| compelling | Tending to persuade by forcefulness of argument. His eyes were strangely compelling. |
| critical | Having a decisive or crucial importance in the success, failure, or existence of something. A critical temperature of water is 100 degrees C its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure. |
| crying | Demanding attention. It would be a crying shame to let it all go to waste. |
| dangerous | Able or likely to cause harm or injury. A dangerous criminal. |
| despairing | Arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope. A despairing view of the world situation. |
| dire | Fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless. A dire emergency. |
| final | Allowing no further doubt or dispute. The judge s decision is final. |
| frightful | Very unpleasant, serious, or shocking. A frightful mistake. |
| grave | Causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm. A grave illness. |
| hazardous | Risky; dangerous. It is hazardous to personal safety. |
| heroic | Relating to or characteristic of heroes of antiquity. One passes under pyramids and obelisks all on a heroic scale. |
| hopeless | Without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success. He is a hopeless romantic. |
| in great need of | Directed or bound inward. |
| in want of | Currently fashionable. |
| lacking | Inadequate in amount or degree. The students are not lacking in intellectual ability. |
| last-ditch | Of something done as a final recourse (especially to prevent a crisis or disaster. |
| last-minute | Just before a deadline at the last minute. |
| lawless | Lax in enforcing laws. Lawless bands roaming the plains. |
| miserable | Contemptible (used as a term of abuse or for emphasis. Horribly wet and miserable conditions. |
| perilous | Fraught with danger. The economy is in a perilous state. |
| precarious | Fraught with danger. The precarious life of an undersea diver. |
| pressing | Expressing something strongly or persistently. Too pressing to permit of longer delay. |
| risky | Not financially safe or secure. Their risky patter made the guests laugh. |
| serious | Solemn or thoughtful in character or manner. He suddenly had serious money to spend. |
| terrible | Exceptionally bad or displeasing. I was sick all night and felt terrible for two days. |
| unspeakable | Defying expression or description. I felt an unspeakable tenderness towards her. |
| urgent | Of an action or event done or arranged in response to an urgent situation. Bridges in urgent need of repair. |
| very bad | Being the exact same one; not any other. |
| violent | Marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions inclined to react violently fervid. A violent death. |
| wanting | Deficient in intelligence. Tested and found wanting. |
| bleak | (of the weather) cold and miserable. A bleak midwinter s day. |
| depressed | Flattened downward as if pressed from above or flattened along the dorsal and ventral surfaces. Depressed inner city areas. |
| despair | The complete loss or absence of hope. In despair I hit the bottle. |
| despairing | Arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope. A despairing view of the world situation. |
| despondent | Without or almost without hope. Despondent about his failure. |
| discouraged | Having lost confidence or enthusiasm; disheartened. He must be feeling pretty discouraged. |
| drastic | Likely to have a strong or far-reaching effect; radical and extreme. A drastic reduction of staffing levels. |
| empty | A bottle or glass left empty of its contents. Empty bellied children. |
| extreme | The highest or most extreme degree of something. Extreme cold. |
| famished | Extremely hungry. I m famished is there anything to eat. |
| gloomy | Filled with melancholy and despondency. The gloomy forest. |
| heartsick | Without or almost without hope. Too heartsick to fight back. |
| helpless | Uncontrollable. Lying ill and helpless. |
| hopeless | Beyond hope of management or reform. I m hopeless at names. |
| hungry | (usually followed by `for’) extremely desirous. A world full of hungry people. |
| impecunious | Having little or no money. A titled but impecunious family. |
| insoluble | Impossible to solve. Once dry the paints become insoluble in water. |
| malnourished | Suffering from malnutrition. |
| mutineer | Someone who is openly rebellious and refuses to obey authorities (especially seamen or soldiers. Those who resisted were denounced as mutineers and treated accordingly. |
| penniless | (of a person) having no money; very poor. A penniless young student. |
| ravenous | Extremely hungry. Ravenous as wolves. |
| skinny | A skinny person. He wanted the inside skinny on the new partner. |
| starving | The act of depriving of food or subjecting to famine. The world s starving children. |
| thirst | Feel the need to drink. An opponent thirsting for revenge. |
| tired | Bored or impatient with. Too tired to eat. |
| underweight | Below a weight considered normal or desirable. Underweighted assets. |
| unhealthy | (of a person’s attitude or behaviour) not sensible or well balanced. His skin looked pale and unhealthy. |
| voracious | Engaging in an activity with great eagerness or enthusiasm. A voracious appetite. |
| want | Hunt or look for want for a particular reason. You shall want for nothing while you are with me. |
| wish | Order politely express a wish for. The union has reiterated its wish for an agreement. |
The synonyms and related words of "Brag" are: blow, bluster, boast, gas, gasconade, shoot a…
The synonyms and related words of "Pierce" are: thrust, make a hole in, penetrate, puncture,…
The synonyms and related words of "Weary" are: aweary, tired, tired out, exhausted, fatigued, overtired,…
The synonyms and related words of "Kick" are: complain, kvetch, plain, quetch, sound off, give…
The synonyms and related words of "Useless" are: futile, pointless, purposeless, impractical, vain, in vain,…
Want to describe something with adjectives that start with 'J'? Though they are not numerous,…