Will Self

Modernism has a reputation for being a forbidding phenomenon: its visual arts disconcertingly non-representational, its literary efforts devoid of the consolations of plot and character - even its films, it's argued, fall well short of that true desideratum: entertainment.

English Author

Murray Rothbard

The important desideratum is freedom of the market; a country or region will often best develop, depending on conditions of resources or the market, by concentrating on one or two items and then exchanging them for other items produced elsewhere.

American Economist

Alan Dershowitz

I love discomfort. I mean, my whole life is discomfort. One reason I can never retire is that the idea of just sitting on the beach totally comfortable is not a desideratum in my life. I like ambiguity, I like conflict, I like uncertainly.

American Lawyer

H. P. Lovecraft

Atmosphere, not action, is the great desideratum of weird fiction. Indeed, all that a wonder story can ever be is a vivid picture of a certain type of human mood.

American Novelist

John Jay Chapman

A vision of truth which does not call upon us to get out of our armchair - why, this is the desideratum of mankind.

American Poet

Used mostly in formal or academic contexts, not in casual conversation.

Academic Tone

Often refers to an abstract idea or concept rather than a physical item.

Abstract Concept

Typically used to express a high-level or ideal goal or objective.

Desideratum