Definition

1. Noun:
   • A hopeless or desperate enterprise: A venture or undertaking that is almost certain to fail or is undertaken with little chance of success, often driven by desperation.
   • (Historical/Military) A group of soldiers selected for a perilous mission: A detachment of volunteers chosen for an extremely dangerous task, such as leading an assault.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Trying to start a business in that economic climate was a forlorn hope.
  • The small team of researchers knew curing the disease was a forlorn hope, but they continued their work.
  • (Historical) The captain called for volunteers to form a forlorn hope and breach the castle walls.

Advanced Usage

• "to be a forlorn hope": To be an endeavor with a very slim chance of success.
  • Winning the championship with this injured squad is a forlorn hope.
• "to cling to a forlorn hope": To continue hoping for something that is very unlikely to happen.
  • He clung to the forlorn hope that she would return.

Variants and Related Words

• Forlorn (adj): Pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely. (e.g., ). Note: While related, the adjective "forlorn" is used separately from the noun phrase "forlorn hope."
• Hope (n/v): The feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen.

Synonyms

• Lost cause: A person or thing that can no longer be helped or saved.
• Quixotic quest: A pursuit that is exceedingly idealistic and unrealistic.
• Desperate gamble: A risky action taken as a last resort.

Related Phrases

• Mission impossible: A task that seems incapable of being accomplished. (This is a modern, informal equivalent).
• Last-ditch effort: A final attempt made in a desperate situation.

Notes on Meaning

The term originates from 16th-century military Dutch ("verloren hoop," meaning "lost troop"). In English, it was reinterpreted through folk etymology, associating "hoop" with the English word "hope," which shaped its modern meaning of a desperate or futile undertaking. The two distinct meanings—the desperate enterprise and the historical military unit—are connected, as the soldiers in such a unit were on a mission with little hope of survival.

Noun

1. a hopeless or desperate enterprise