Definition of desparate

(James Boylan, "Mutinity"...)

As Hudson resumed his desperate criss-crossing of the little bay , every incident lessened the crew 's respect for him .

(Gibson Winter, The Suburban Captivity of the...)

This conformity represents a desperate attempt to stabilize a hopelessly unstable environment .

Since American life is committed above_all to productivity and a higher standard of economic life , the countervailing forces of residential and religious exclusiveness have fought a desperate , rearguard action against the expanding interdependence of the metropolis .

(Charles Wharton Stork, "Verner von Heidenstam"...)

After the collapse of that desperate and ill-fated campaign the character of the king degenerated for a time into a futility that was not merely pitiable but often ridiculous .

(Peter Field, Rattlesnake Ridge....)

Cobb watched this with hunted eyes , his desperate hope waning by the moment .