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desperate

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An adjective describing a state of reckless urgency driven by hopelessness; in poetry, it conveys a character at the edge, willing to risk everything due to a lack of alternatives.

Detailed Definition
In older usage, “desperate” can mean more than merely upset or hopeless; it can suggest reckless, violent, or extreme behavior. Donne places it among the forces that can “slave” Death, implying human acts of extremity.
Example
Example in poetry:
Donne writes, “Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,” where desperate means reckless or driven beyond restraint; The word can mean hopeless, urgent, or willing to take dangerous action; “Desperate hands clung to the floodwall” emphasizes crisis and necessity; A contemporary poem may portray desperate migrants without reducing them to stereotypes
Additional Notes
The line uses “desperate” in a stronger, older sense that may be less familiar than the modern everyday meaning.; Found in the poem, Holy Sonnet 10: Death, Be Not Proud by John Donne
Also Known As
hopeless despairing frantic despondent
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