Afrikaans desperaat | ||
Albanian i dëshpëruar | ||
Amharic ተስፋ የቆረጠ | ||
Arabic يائس | ||
Armenian հուսահատ | ||
Assamese হতাশ | ||
Aymara phatikasita | ||
Azerbaijani ümidsiz | ||
Bambara jigitigɛ | ||
Basque etsi | ||
Belarusian адчайны | ||
Bengali মরিয়া | ||
Bhojpuri खिसियाह | ||
Bosnian očajna | ||
Bulgarian отчаян | ||
Catalan desesperat | ||
Cebuano desperado | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 绝望的 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 絕望的 | ||
Corsican addisperatu | ||
Croatian očajan | ||
Czech zoufalý | ||
Danish desperat | ||
Dhivehi މާޔޫސް | ||
Dogri नराश | ||
Dutch wanhopig | ||
English desperate | ||
Esperanto senespera | ||
Estonian meeleheitel | ||
Ewe tsi dzi | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) desperado | ||
Finnish epätoivoinen | ||
French désespéré | ||
Frisian wanhopich | ||
Galician desesperado | ||
Georgian სასოწარკვეთილი | ||
German verzweifelt | ||
Greek απελπισμένος | ||
Guarani py'aropu | ||
Gujarati ભયાવહ | ||
Haitian Creole dezespere | ||
Hausa matsananciya | ||
Hawaiian hopena loa | ||
Hebrew נוֹאָשׁ | ||
Hindi बेकरार | ||
Hmong xav ua kom tau | ||
Hungarian kétségbeesett | ||
Icelandic örvæntingarfullur | ||
Igbo sikwara ike njite | ||
Ilocano malagawan | ||
Indonesian putus asa | ||
Irish éadóchasach | ||
Italian disperato | ||
Japanese やけくその | ||
Javanese nekat | ||
Kannada ಹತಾಶ | ||
Kazakh үмітсіз | ||
Khmer អស់សង្ឃឹម | ||
Kinyarwanda bihebye | ||
Konkani आत्यंतीक | ||
Korean 필사적 인 | ||
Krio fil se ɔltin dɔn | ||
Kurdish neçare | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) بێ هیوا | ||
Kyrgyz айласы кеткен | ||
Lao ໝົດ ຫວັງ | ||
Latin desperatis | ||
Latvian izmisis | ||
Lingala kozala na mposa | ||
Lithuanian beviltiška | ||
Luganda okuyonkayonka | ||
Luxembourgish verzweifelt | ||
Macedonian очаен | ||
Maithili निराश | ||
Malagasy aretina tsy azo sitranina | ||
Malay putus asa | ||
Malayalam നിരാശ | ||
Maltese iddisprat | ||
Maori tino pau | ||
Marathi हताश | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯉꯥꯏꯉꯝꯗꯕ | ||
Mizo duh takzet | ||
Mongolian цөхрөнгөө барсан | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အပူတပြင်း | ||
Nepali हताश | ||
Norwegian desperat | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wosimidwa | ||
Odia (Oriya) ହତାଶ | | ||
Oromo abdii kutataa | ||
Pashto نا امید | ||
Persian مستاصل | ||
Polish zdesperowany | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) desesperado | ||
Punjabi ਹਤਾਸ਼ | ||
Quechua llakipakusqa | ||
Romanian disperat | ||
Russian отчаянный | ||
Samoan matua | ||
Sanskrit प्राणान्तिक | ||
Scots Gaelic eu-dòchasach | ||
Sepedi go ba tlalelong | ||
Serbian очајан | ||
Sesotho tsielehile | ||
Shona apererwa | ||
Sindhi مايوس هئڻ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) මංමුලා සහගතයි | ||
Slovak zúfalý | ||
Slovenian obupno | ||
Somali quus | ||
Spanish desesperado | ||
Sundanese nekat | ||
Swahili kukata tamaa | ||
Swedish desperat | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) desperado na | ||
Tajik ноумед | ||
Tamil ஆற்றொணா | ||
Tatar өметсез | ||
Telugu తీరని | ||
Thai หมดหวัง | ||
Tigrinya ተስፋ ዘቑርፅ | ||
Tsonga hiseka | ||
Turkish umutsuz | ||
Turkmen umytsyz | ||
Twi (Akan) ahopere | ||
Ukrainian відчайдушний | ||
Urdu بیتاب | ||
Uyghur ئۈمىدسىزلەنگەن | ||
Uzbek umidsiz | ||
Vietnamese tuyệt vọng | ||
Welsh anobeithiol | ||
Xhosa lithemba | ||
Yiddish פאַרצווייפלט | ||
Yoruba ainireti | ||
Zulu ngokuphelelwa yithemba |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Afrikaans “desperaat” comes from the Portuguese “desesperado” which can mean “brave” as well as “desperate”. |
| Albanian | This word shares the same etymology with "shpërbejem", also meaning "to spread". |
| Amharic | The word also means "hopeless." |
| Arabic | The verb originates from the root "يئِسَ/Y-ʾ-ʾ-S" from the Classical Arabic form meaning despair, grieve or become hopeless |
| Azerbaijani | The word "ümidsiz" is derived from the Persian word "omid", meaning "hope", and the suffix "-siz", meaning "without", indicating a lack of hope. |
| Basque | The Basque word "etsi" has several alternate meanings, including "in vain" and "nevertheless." |
| Belarusian | The word "адчайны" can also mean "infernal" or "hellish" in Belarusian, reflecting its Slavic roots and the concept of "hell" as a place of desperation and torment. |
| Bengali | The word "মরিয়া" has two meanings: 1) desperate and 2) mortal, which comes from the word "মৃত" (dead). |
| Bosnian | The word "očajna" comes from the Old Slavonic word "očajati", meaning "to despair" or "to be in deep sorrow". |
| Bulgarian | "Отчаян" comes from "отчаяние" which means "despair" and is also related to the word "часть" which means "part". In the past, "отчаян" meant "lacking a part". |
| Catalan | From the Latin "desperatus," it denotes both a state of desperation and a specific type of criminal in medieval Catalan law. |
| Cebuano | The etymology of "desperado" in Cebuano is from the Spanish word "desesperado" (desperate), which in turn is derived from the Latin word "desperatus" (despairing). |
| Chinese (Simplified) | “绝望的”一词源于“望”,意思是“看”或“希望”。 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 「絕望的」一詞在中文裡同時具有「極其困難」和「令人絕望」的雙重含義。 |
| Corsican | The word "addisperatu" is derived from the Latin word "desperatus," meaning "without hope." |
| Croatian | "Očajan' in Croatian is derived from 'očaj,' meaning 'despair.' |
| Czech | "Zoufalý" shares the same root with "zoufat", meaning "to lose hope", which in turn derives from the Old Czech word "zufati", meaning "to groan", "to sigh", and "to complain." |
| Danish | The word "desperat" in Danish also means "hopeless" and "reckless". |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "wanhopig" has roots in Middle Dutch "wanhopen," which combines "wan" (lacking) with "hopen" (hope), hence "lacking hope". |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "senespera" is a compound of the prefix "sen-" (without) and the root "espero" (hope), hence "desperate". |
| Estonian | The word "meeleheitel" comes from the verb "heitma," meaning "to throw," and the noun "meel," meaning "mind." It originally meant "to be thrown out of one's mind," and has come to mean "desperate." |
| Finnish | The Finnish word "epätoivoinen" (desperate) is a compound word consisting of the negation "epä-" (not) and "toivo" (hope), hence "hopeless". |
| French | The French word “désespéré” can also mean “hopeless,” “helpless,” or “powerless”. |
| Frisian | Wanhopich is formed from the Old Frisian words 'wan' ('lacking') and 'hope' ('hope'), and its original meaning was 'lacking hope'. |
| Galician | In Galician, "desesperado" is also used to refer to a reckless or daring person. |
| German | The German word "verzweifelt" originally meant "to be torn apart" or "to despair". |
| Greek | The word απελπισμένος originally meant "without hope" and was used in a religious context. |
| Gujarati | "ભયાવહ" can also refer to something terrifying. |
| Haitian Creole | In Haitian Creole, "dezespere" also means "sad" or "distressed". |
| Hausa | The Hausa word "matsananciya" (desperation) is derived from the verb "tsana" (to hate), indicating a deep-seated emotional state. |
| Hawaiian | Hopena loa is a loanword of the Hawaiian word meaning "very desperate" or "very much," meaning very intense. |
| Hebrew | "נוֹאָשׁ" is the Hebrew equivalent of "desperate," although it is also a derogatory term for "pessimist." |
| Hindi | The word "बेकरार" (desperate) is derived from the Persian word "Bekarar" which means "unemployed" or "idle". |
| Hmong | "Xav ua kom tau" literally means "to want to climb the post". In other contexts, the word "tau" can refer to "cross". So the full phrase can also mean "(wanting to) climb to the cross". |
| Hungarian | The word "kétségbeesett" originates from the Old Hungarian words "két" ("two") and "ség" ("doubt"), meaning „having two doubts". |
| Icelandic | Etymology: ör (arrow) + vænti (hope) + ingar (lacking) + fullur (full). Originally, hopeless against incoming arrows. |
| Igbo | "Ike njite" (literally "no strength") is the Igbo word for "desperate." |
| Indonesian | The word "putus asa" in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit word "patita-asa" which means "fallen hope" or "loss of hope". |
| Irish | The Gaelic adjective "éadóchasach" originally carried a meaning closer to "idle" or "lacking in hope". |
| Italian | In Italian, the word "disperato" originally meant "without hope" but now refers to someone who is determined, even recklessly so. |
| Japanese | 「やけくそ」 is a combination of the words 「焼く」(yaku), which means "to burn", and 「糞」(kuso), which means "shit" or "excrement." |
| Javanese | Nekat is commonly confused with nekad, which means steadfast or persistent. |
| Kannada | In some contexts, "ಹತಾಶ" can also mean "eager" or "determined". |
| Kazakh | The word "үмітсіз" in Kazakh is derived from the word "үміт" meaning "hope", indicating a state of hopelessness. |
| Khmer | "អស់សង្ឃឹម" is also used to describe something that is extremely difficult or impossible to do. |
| Korean | "필사적 인"은 "필사(必死)"에서 유래하여 원래는 "죽을 覚悟으로"라는 뜻"을 가지고 있다. |
| Kurdish | The word "neçare" in Kurdish is derived from the Arabic word "najar" meaning "to save", and can also mean "help" or "support". |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "айласы кеткен" ("desperate") literally means "lost their way" or "without a plan." |
| Lao | " หมดหวัง " is a Sino-Tibetan compound: "หมด" (Sanskrit "muc" "หมด": "to release, to end") and "หวัง" (Sanskrit "prap" "ปรารถนา": "to desire, to hope for"). |
| Latin | The Latin word "desperatis" can refer to both "desperate" and "hopeless" or "futile". |
| Latvian | The Latvian word "izmisis" derives from Lithuanian "izmisti", meaning "to despair". |
| Lithuanian | The word "beviltiška" is derived from the word "beviltis", which means "hopelessness" or "despair". |
| Luxembourgish | The Luxembourgish word "verzweifelt" can also mean "hopeless" or "powerless." |
| Macedonian | The word 'очаен' comes from the Proto-Slavic word '*otъčajь', meaning 'despair'. |
| Malay | "Putus asa" is derived from the word "putus" which means "cut", and "asa" which means "hope". It metaphorically means having one's hope cut off. |
| Malayalam | Meaning 'hopelessness' and 'disappointment', this word is commonly used to refer to a state of despair. |
| Maltese | The word "iddisprat" in Maltese derives from the Sicilian word "dispiratu", meaning "despair". |
| Maori | Tino pau can also refer to a state of being completely destroyed, wiped out, or finished. |
| Marathi | "हताश" derives from the Sanskrit "hata āśa," which literally means "deprived of hope". |
| Nepali | The word "हताश" is derived from Sanskrit and literally means "without hope". |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "desperat" can also mean "disastrous". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "wosimidwa" can also mean "to be frustrated". |
| Pashto | The word "نا امید" ("desperate") is derived from the Persian word "ناامید" (nā-umīd), which literally means "without hope". |
| Persian | The Persian word "مستاصل" ("musta'sil") originally referred to someone or something that has been uprooted or destroyed. |
| Polish | The word "zdesperowany" is derived from the Latin word "desperatus," which means "hopeless." |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "desesperado" also has the alternate meaning "reckless" in Portuguese. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, the word "disperat" also means "scattered" or "separated". |
| Russian | The word "отчаянный" comes from the Old Russian word "отъчание," meaning "despair" or "hopelessness." |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "matua" also means "parent" or "elder". |
| Scots Gaelic | Eu-dòchasach derives from eu 'out' + dochas 'hope', hence 'without hope'. |
| Serbian | The word "очајан" is derived from the Slavic root "čajati", meaning "to hope or expect" and has the connotation of "without hope" or "beyond hope". |
| Sesotho | The Sesotho word tsielehile is also used to describe someone who is reckless. |
| Shona | The word "apererwa" in Shona derives from the root "pera," meaning "to rush" or "to be in a hurry," and thus connotes a sense of urgency and desperation. |
| Sindhi | The etymology of the Sindhi word "مايوس هئڻ" is "مائي" (mother) and "اوس هئڻ" (to be without), thus "to be without a mother". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word is originated from ancient Sinhala word "මාමුල" which means a habit or tradition that leads to desperate situation. |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "zúfalý" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "zufalъ", which means "misfortune" or "sorrow". |
| Slovenian | According to Snoj, the word "obupno" derives from the 16th-century expression "ob up", meaning "without hope" or "lost". |
| Somali | The word "quus" (desperate) is derived from "qufu," meaning to run out of breath, or "qaad u siin," meaning a lack of resources. |
| Spanish | The term "desesperado" in Spanish has origins in the Latin word "desperare," meaning "to lose hope" and "to despair." |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "nekat" also has a connotation of recklessness and daring. |
| Swahili | The phrase kukata tamaa (lit. to cut hope) is Swahili for to become desperate |
| Swedish | The Swedish word "desperat" originally meant "hopeless" and derives from the Latin word "desperatus," meaning "given up." |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "desperado na" in Tagalog is also used to describe someone who is determined or willing to take risks. |
| Tajik | The word "ноумед" is derived from the Persian word "نا امید" (nā omīd), meaning "hopeless" or "despaired". |
| Tamil | The word "ஆற்றொணா" in Tamil is derived from the root word "ஆறு" (river), meaning "unable to cross a river" or "incapable of dealing with a difficult situation". |
| Telugu | The word "తీరని" also means "unremitting" or "relentless". |
| Thai | The word "หมดหวัง" can also mean "exhausted" or "hopeless". |
| Turkish | Umutsuz was originally derived from the Arabic word ümîd, meaning "hope," and carries the opposite meaning due to its transformation in Turkish. |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "відчайдушний" also means "reckless, daring" |
| Urdu | The Urdu word "بیتاب" also has a secondary, archaic meaning, which is "without water." |
| Uzbek | The word "umidsiz" in Uzbek can also mean "hopeless" or "without hope". |
| Vietnamese | Tuyệt vọng originates from the Chinese word "絕望" and carries the dual meaning of "despair" and "absolute hope". |
| Welsh | "Anobeithiol" in Welsh is cognate with Irish "anaithnid" (unknown), and can also mean "strange, foreign, alien". |
| Xhosa | The Xhosa word "lithemba" can also mean "hope" or "expectation"} |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "פאַרצווייפלט" (fartzveyfelt) derives from the German word "verzweifelt" and also means "hopeless". |
| Yoruba | 'Ainireti' may also mean 'having no hope' |
| Zulu | Literally meaning "to be abandoned by hope," ngokuphelelwa yithemba figuratively describes a state of powerlessness and forlornness. |
| English | The word "desperate" comes from the Latin "desperare," meaning "to lose hope." |