Definitions of desperate:

• noun:   a person who is frightened and in need of help

  Example: "They prey on the hopes of the desperate"

• adjective:   desperately determined
• adjective:   (of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair

  Example: "A desperate criminal"

• adjective:   showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort

  Example: "Made a last desperate attempt to reach the climber"

• adjective:   fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless

  Example: "A desperate illness"

• adjective:   showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire

  Example: "Felt a desperate urge to confess"

• adjective:   arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope

  Example: "A desperate cry for help"