4SERIOUS SITUATIONa desperate action is something that you only do because you are in a very bad situation 〔行动〕孤注一掷的
desperate attempt/bid/effort
a desperate attempt to escape
孤注一掷企图逃跑
We resorted to desperate measures.
我们采取了破釜沉舟的做法。
desperate battle/struggle/fight
a desperate struggle to rescue the men
不惜一切营救那些人的努力
nCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 4: a desperate action is something that you only do because you are in a very bad situation
nouns
a desperate attempt
Brian’s parents agreed to the treatment in a desperate attempt to save his life.
a desperate bid (=attempt)
He was standing in the middle of the road in a desperate bid to get help.
a desperate effort
A desperate effort was made to reach an agreement.
a desperate struggle/battle/fight
The climbers faced a desperate struggle to reach safety.
desperate measures (=extreme things you do to stop a problem or bad situation)
They had to take desperate measures to stop the spread of the disease.
a desperate search
The female bear has left her young in a desperate search for food.
Examples from the Corpus
desperate• Another two weeks without emergencyaid and I'd think things could become quite desperate.• We have members of our association who are desperate and worriedsick as to how they are going to survive.• I was inspired by her optimism in the face of such desperate conditions.• Had he not been she might have telephoned him instead of Nick, when she had been desperate for company.• Pushing himself up, he staggered on, feeling angry and desperateinside.• The hospital is full of people in desperate need of medicalattention.• TVstationsbroadcast an appeal from the teenager's desperate parents.• There was a desperateshortage of doctors.• Refugees on the border are living in appalling conditions with desperate shortages of food, medicine and water.• In desperate situations of life or death people come up with unheard-of wisdom.• The situation was desperate. The enemy were now only a mile away.• The situation is desperate -- there are just not enough beds in the hospital.• Musicians were so desperate to hear Michelangeli that they borrowedviolin cases and sneaked in through the stage door.• Punters get desperate when the firm they are dealing with is about to go bust.
getting desperate• Harvard's dealing director started getting desperate.• Paul says he was getting desperate.• We'd had a couple just stay on the lip and we were getting desperate.• They're getting desperate about the cabaret.• High Street shops are getting desperate after two years of poorsales.• I think they're getting desperate and Berlin seems the likeliest cause.• Miguel was getting desperatethoughts about it, convinced he had been hasty.• Televisionmanufacturers are getting desperate to attractcustomers.
desperate shortage• While toy sales here have hit a record high they face a desperate shortage of clean water.• Again the desperate shortage of materials and the home-made nature of the goods was evident.• Surely Londonemployers were suffering from a desperate shortage of school-leavers?
VERBS | ADVERB | PREPOSITIONVERBS➤be, feel, look, seem, sound絕望;感到絕望;看起來絕望;似乎沒有希望;聽起來絕望▸➤become, get變得絕望◇I was starting to get desperate.我開始變得絕望。➤make sb使某人絕望◇The sudden loss of his money had made him desperate.錢突然沒了使他絕望。ADVERB➤extremely, fairly, very, etc.極其/相當/非常絕望▸➤really, truly真的/實在絕望▸➤absolutely, utterly徹底絕望◇She felt utterly desperate.她感到徹底絕望了。➤increasingly越來越絕望▸➤almost幾乎絕望▸➤a little, slightly, etc.有點兒/略感絕望PREPOSITION➤about對⋯絕望◇I felt desperate about my future.我對未來感到絕望。
desperate adj. ⇨desperate (feel desperate)⇨serious1 (in desperate need)desperate
adjective
desperate ♦︎ in despair ♦︎ despairing ♦︎ suicidal ♦︎ hopelessThese words all describe sb who feels or shows little or no hope.这些词均表示感到绝望的或显得绝望的。PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配◆desperate / in despair / despairing about sth◆a desperate / despairing cry / look◆to feel desperate / suicidal / hopeless◆almost desperate / in despair / despairing / suicidal■desperate ˈdespərət (of a person) feeling that you have little hope and are ready to do anything without worrying about danger to yourself or others; (of an action) giving little hope of success; tried when everything else has failed(人)不惜冒险的,不顾一切的;(行为)孤注一掷的,铤而走险的◆I was starting to get desperate.我开始变得不顾一切了。◆Somewhere out there was a desperate man, cold, hungry, hunted.外面有个男人又冷又饿,还被人追捕,已经走投无路了。◆I heard sounds of a desperate struggle.我听到了拼命挣扎的声音。◆He made a desperate bid for freedom.他为获自由孤注一掷。◆She clung to the edge in a desperate attempt to save herself.为了活命,她拼命抓住那边缘不放。▸desperately
adverb
◆He took a deep breath, desperately trying to keep calm.他深吸一口气,竭力保持镇静。◆She looked desperately around for a weapon.她四处寻找,急于弄到一件武器。■in deˈspair
phrase
feeling that you have lost all hope绝望地◆Ruth shook her head in despair.露丝绝望地摇了摇头。◆Eventually, he gave up in despair.最终,他绝望地放弃了。■despairing (written) feeling or showing that you have lost all hope感到绝望的;表现绝望的◆With every day that passed he became ever more despairing.随着日子一天天过去,他变得更绝望了。◆With a despairing cry, she flung herself onto the sofa.她绝望地叫了一声,扑倒在沙发上。▸despairingly
adverb
◆She looked despairingly at the mess.她绝望地看着眼前这一片狼藉。■suicidalˌsuːɪˈsaɪdl, BrE also ˌsjuːɪˈsaɪdlpeople who are suicidal feel that they want to kill themselves想自杀的;有自杀倾向的◆On bad days I felt almost suicidal.赶上不顺心的日子,我都觉得不想活了。◆Some sufferers admit to suicidal tendencies.有些患者承认有自杀倾向。 see also suicide ⇨ murder■hopelessfeeling or showing no hope感到绝望的;表现绝望的◆She felt lonely and hopeless.她觉得孤独绝望。◆With a hopeless shrug of resignation, he turned back.他绝望地耸了耸肩,无可奈何地转过身去。OPPhopeful ⇨ optimisticNOTE辨析 In despair, despairing or hopeless?If you are in despair or despairing, you often feel frustrated that sth is not going to happen or change after waiting or trying for a long time. This feeling is often shown as anger, crying or shouting. If you are hopeless, you are sad and depressed because you feel that nothing good can happen. This feeling is often shown as sadness or being quiet. * in despair或despairing指因长期等待或尝试后某事仍不发生或改变而感到受挫,常以愤怒、哭泣或呼喊的方式表现。hopeless则指因觉得不会有好事发生而难过或沮丧,常以悲伤或沉默的方式表现。