DESPERATION: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for DESPERATION?

Need another word that means the same as “desperation”? Find 13 synonyms and 30 related words for “desperation” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Desperation” are: despair, hopelessness, distress, recklessness, rashness, impetuosity, foolhardiness, riskiness, audacity, boldness, wildness, imprudence, injudiciousness

Desperation as a Noun

Definitions of "Desperation" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “desperation” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• A state of despair, typically one which results in rash or extreme behaviour.
• A state in which all hope is lost or absent.
• Desperate recklessness.

Synonyms of "Desperation" as a noun (13 Words)

audacity	Rude or disrespectful behaviour; impudence. She had the audacity to suggest I d been carrying on with him.
boldness	Confidence to an impudent or presumptuous degree. A president who is showing incredible boldness in going after the cartels.
despair	The feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well. A voice full of self hatred and despair.
distress	Extreme physical pain. To his distress he saw that she was trembling.
foolhardiness	The trait of giving little thought to danger.
hopelessness	The despair you feel when you have abandoned hope of comfort or success. I was overcome by the hopelessness of the situation.
impetuosity	Rash impulsiveness.
imprudence	A lack of caution in practical affairs.
injudiciousness	The trait of being injudicious.
rashness	The trait of giving little thought to danger.
recklessness	The trait of giving little thought to danger. The recklessness of youth.
riskiness	A state of danger involving risk.
wildness	Lack of discipline or restraint. The wildness of his ideas.

Usage Examples of "Desperation" as a noun

• It was a policy of desperation.
• She wrote to him in desperation.
• Courage born of desperation.

Associations of "Desperation" (30 Words)

angst	A feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general. The existential angst of the middle classes.
despair	The complete loss or absence of hope. She despaired of finding a good restaurant nearby.
desperate	Desperately determined. Made a last desperate attempt to reach the climber.
desperately	With great urgency. He desperately needed a drink.
despond	A state of unhappiness and low spirits. I thought it right not to let my young lady despond.
despondency	Low spirits from loss of hope or courage; dejection. An air of despondency.
disappoint	Fail to fulfil the hopes or expectations of. I have no wish to disappoint everyone by postponing the visit.
disappointing	Failing to fulfil someone’s hopes or expectations. It was disappointing that there were relatively few possibilities.
disappointment	A person or thing that causes disappointment. To her disappointment there was no chance to talk privately with Luke.
discouragement	An attempt to prevent something by showing disapproval or creating difficulties; deterrent. The discouragement of crime.
frustration	An event or circumstance that causes one to feel frustrated. Her constant complaints were the main source of his frustration.
futility	Pointlessness or uselessness. The horror and futility of war.
gloom	A state of partial or total darkness. Charles was always glooming about money.
grief	An instance or cause of intense sorrow. She was overcome with grief.
heartache	Emotional anguish or grief, typically caused by the loss or absence of someone loved. A good friend understands your heartaches as well as your joys.
heaviness	An oppressive quality that is laborious and solemn and lacks grace or fluency. Nothing lifted the heaviness of her heart after her loss.
homesickness	A longing to return home. I lived four years in London without a single pang of homesickness.
hopeless	Feeling or causing despair. He is a hopeless romantic.
hopelessness	The despair you feel when you have abandoned hope of comfort or success. His face bears the expression of utter hopelessness.
lamentation	The passionate expression of grief or sorrow; weeping. Scenes of lamentation.
loneliness	Sadness resulting from being forsaken or abandoned. The loneliness of the farm.
longing	Prolonged unfulfilled desire or need. Miranda felt a wistful longing for the old days.
melancholy	Having a feeling of melancholy sad and pensive. At the centre of his music lies a profound melancholy and nostalgia.
mourning	The passionate and demonstrative activity of expressing grief. She s still in mourning after the death of her husband.
nostalgia	Something done or presented in order to evoke feelings of nostalgia. An evening of TV nostalgia.
plead	Make an allegation in an action or other legal proceeding especially answer the previous pleading of the other party by denying facts therein stated or by alleging new facts. He pleaded family commitments as a reason for not attending.
sadness	The condition or quality of being sad. She tired of his perpetual sadness.
slough	A stagnant swamp (especially as part of a bayou. The economic slough of the interwar years.
sorrow	An event or circumstance that causes sorrow. A bereaved person needs time to work through their sorrow.
unsatisfactory	Not satisfactory; not good enough. Her performance proved to be unsatisfactory.