Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

desperation

/ˌdɛspəˈɹeɪʃən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.55 in modern English

Syllables
des-pe-ra-tion
IPA
/ˌdɛspəˈɹeɪʃən/
14
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The act of despairing or becoming desperate; a giving up of hope.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A state of despair, or utter hopelessness; abandonment of hope.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Reckless fury.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Ellipsis of bladder desperation.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English desperacion, desperacioun, desperation, disparacion, disperacion, disperacioun, dispiracioune, dysperacioun, from Middle French desperation and its etymon Latin dēspērātiō, dēspērātiōnis. By surface analysis, desperate + -ion.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: desperacion,desperacioun,desperation,disparacion,disperacion,disperacioun,dispiracioune,dysperacioun, desperation, dēspērātiō

Usage

Inflected Forms

desperations (plural)

Derived Forms

desperational semidesperation

Synonyms

despair despondency desperation despond hopelessness unhope wanhope

Rhymes With

information education situation population station association administration operation organization nation location application

Questions

How do you pronounce desperation?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌdɛspəˈɹeɪʃən/.
What does desperation mean?
The act of despairing or becoming desperate; a giving up of hope.
Where does desperation come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce desperation

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “desperation”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌdɛspəˈɹeɪʃən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “desperation”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “desperation” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.