el desesperado
desperate
Persona que ha perdido la calma o la esperanza y actúa sin pensar claramente por la angustia o la ansiedad.
Definition & meaning
Desesperado means desperate or hopeless. It describes someone who has lost hope, feels intense distress, or is willing to do almost anything because of a difficult situation.
It can also mean desperate in the sense of urgently needing something, or describe a situation or action as extreme and urgent.
Grammar & Word origin
Desesperado is an adjective. It agrees with the noun it describes: masculine desesperado, feminine desesperada, and plural desesperados or desesperadas.
It is also the past participle of desesperar , “to despair” or “to make someone desperate.” The verb ultimately comes from Latin, combining a negative prefix with a root meaning “to hope.”
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- angustiado — distressed or anxious; it emphasizes emotional suffering rather than loss of hope.
- desalentado — discouraged; generally less intense than desesperado.
- apurado — in a difficult or urgent situation; it does not necessarily imply despair.
Antonyms
- esperanzado — hopeful, emphasizing a positive expectation.
- tranquilo — calm, the opposite of the agitation that can accompany desperation.
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
Después de buscar trabajo por meses, se sentía muy desesperado.adjective
After looking for a job for months, he felt very desperate.
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