Master confusing words with ease
Desperate vs. Disparate
Desperate
/ˈdespərət/Examples:
Frank Churchill's character was not desperate.Her husband's work with poison gas triggered even more desperate melancholy.It was splendid, magnificent, desperate.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Disparate
/ˈdɪspərət/Examples:
The two applicants had disparate qualifications.Her disparate hobbies included knitting and skydiving.Despite their disparate views, the talks were productive.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Desperate suggests a sense of urgency or extreme need, like someone in a dire situation.
- Disparate refers to things that are fundamentally distinct or different from each other.
- Remember that desperate is commonly used in emotional contexts, while disparate is more about comparing separate things.
- Both words start with d, but desperate often pairs with feelings, and disparate with diversity.
- Think of desperate containing the word despair, pointing to urgency, and disparate containing apart, indicating separation.
© 2025 Lithium Lab Pte Ltd