1.a person who is frightened and in need of help;
they prey on the hopes of the desperate
2.arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope;
a despairing view of the world situation
3.desperately determined;
do-or-die revolutionaries
4.(of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair;
a desperate criminal
5.showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort;
made a last desperate attempt to reach the climber
6.showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire;
felt a desperate urge to confess
7.fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless;
a desperate illness