Word: desperate (adjective)

Associations

"Desperate" means feeling very worried and needing something very much. It often shows a strong emotion when someone feels there is no hope or when they must do something quickly.

• She was desperate for help after losing her way. (She really needed help urgently.)
• They made a desperate attempt to save the house from the fire. (They tried very hard because the situation was very bad.)
• He felt desperate when he couldn't find a job for months. (He was very worried and sad about his situation.)

A synonym is "hopeless," but "desperate" usually means someone is still trying hard, while "hopeless" means they have given up.

Substitution

You can use:

• "urgent" (when you want to show something needs quick action but less emotion)
• "frantic" (shows more panic or wild action)
• "hopeless" (means no hope left, more negative than desperate)

Changing the word changes how strong or emotional the feeling is.

Deconstruction

• Root: "despair" means no hope.
• Prefix: "de-" means down or away.
• Suffix: "-ate" turns it into an adjective. "Desperate" originally means being in a state of despair or extreme need.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time you felt desperate? What happened?
• How is "desperate" different from just being worried or sad?
• When might it be good to feel desperate, and when could it be a problem?