desperation; despair; self-abandonment
A state of reckless despair where one gives up on caring about consequences. Often used in phrases like やけになる or やけを起こす.
彼は失恋して、やけになって酒を飲みすぎた。
He got desperate after a broken heart and drank too much.
In despair, I ended up quitting my job.
After failing the exam, he fell into despair and threw away all his textbooks.
He drank himself into oblivion after his heartbreak.
I quit my job, half out of desperation.
Kanji form, less common than kana. The reading やけ is standard.