Desperation is the state of being desperate: you have little or no hope, and because of that you may be ready to try almost anything. If you are in desperation, you may do something you would never do when you felt safe — sell what you love, lie, run, shout, take a stupid chance. People also say an act of desperation for one wild move made when every better door has closed. It is a serious word. You hear it in the news, in stories, and in everyday talk when something really is that bad. Informal cousins are “I'm desperate” and “I have no choice.” The noun names the feeling and the bind you are in; it does not name a person. Though actually, speakers often use it for urgency as much as for true hopelessness — “in desperation I called every shop in town” can mean “I had run out of ideas,” not “I had given up on life.” It is also hotter than despair. Despair often sits still. Desperation often pushes.