desperately

adverb

des·​per·​ate·​ly ˈde-sp(ə-)rət-lē 

-spərt-

1

: in a way that involves despair, extreme measures, or rashness : in a desperate manner

struggling desperately

desperately crying out

2

: extremely, terribly

desperately tired

desperately important

Synonyms of desperately

• extremely
• terribly
• badly
• incredibly
• very
• too
• so
• really
• damn
• damned
• highly
• severely
• seriously
• intensely
• that
• greatly
• far
• especially
• wildly
• fiercely
• heavily
• much

Examples of desperately in a Sentence

all of a sudden everything went desperately wrong

Recent Examples on the Web

Anthropic tried desperately to contain the fallout after exposing the source code. —Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 1 Apr. 2026

But Dodge desperately needs a proper high-volume SUV; that aging midsize can’t carry the brand on its (admittedly beefy) shoulders forever. —Byron Hurd, The Drive, 1 Apr. 2026

The plucky kid who seemingly had a fast-track job and a beyond-dreams wife is now desperately snorting it all away. —Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026

The Warriors desperately need an infusion of Curry to remind everyone what the mission is. —Sports Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

desperate + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1