without hope; given to despair; hopeless.-beyond hope; causing despair; extremely perilous; irretrievable; past cure, or, at least, extremely dangerous; as, a desperate disease; desperate fortune.-proceeding from, or suggested by, despair; without regard to danger or safety; reckless; furious; as, a desperate effort.-extreme, in a bad sense; outrageous; -- used to mark the extreme predominance of a bad quality.-one desperate or hopeless.