desperate: meaning and words from its letters
9 letters · 12 letter points · starts with D · ends with E
Meaning of desperate
adj
In dire need (of something); having a dire need or desire.
Example: I hadn't eaten in two days and was desperate for food.
Being filled with, or in a state of, despair; hopeless.
Example: I was so desperate at one point, I even went to see a loan shark.
Beyond hope, leaving little reason for hope; causing despair; extremely perilous.
Example: a desperate disease; desperate fortune
Involving or employing extreme measures, without regard to danger or safety; reckless due to hopelessness.
Example: He dove into the rushing waters in a desperate effort to save her life.
Listed forms: desperater, desperatest.
Source: Wiktionary — desperate.
adv
- US, dialectal
Desperately.
Source: Wiktionary — desperate.
noun
A person in desperate circumstances or who is at the point of desperation, such as a down-and-outer, addict, etc.
Listed forms: desperates.
Source: Wiktionary — desperate.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki.org. Selected senses and forms; quotations omitted. Definition text is CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms by meaning
Words are grouped by sense, so they are not necessarily interchangeable in every context. Search synonyms for desperate.
adjective
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
adjective
desperately determined
- do-or-die
adjective
showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort
adjective
fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
Open English WordNet Team, 2025, derived from Princeton University WordNet; selected synonym groups under CC BY 4.0. Source · OEWN notice · Princeton notice.
Is desperate in our word lists?
| Word list | Status |
|---|---|
| American English | Found |
| British English | Found |
| Extended English | Found |
These are spelling-list matches, not official game validity checks. Check the rules and dictionary used by your game.
Letter-value score of desperate
D(2) + E(1) + S(1) + P(3) + E(1) + R(1) + A(1) + T(1) + E(1) = 12 points.
This is a sum of letter values without board bonuses or word multipliers. A blank tile is worth zero: subtract the value of each letter supplied by a blank. The score does not establish game validity. Full letter-value table.
Anagrams of desperate
1 other standard-list word uses exactly these letters, including repeated letters.
Shorter words from desperate
317 shorter standard-list words can be made using no letter more often than it occurs in desperate. Showing up to 24, longest first.