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

• achingly
• almighty
• archly
• awful
• awfully
• badly
• beastly
• blisteringly
• bone
• colossally
• corking
• cracking
• damn
• damned
• dang
• deadly
• eminently
• enormously
• especially
• ever
• exceedingly
• exceeding
• extra
• extremely
• fabulously
• fantastically
• far
• fiercely
• filthy
• frightfully
• full
• greatly
• heavily
• highly
• hugely
• immensely
• incredibly
• intensely
• jolly
• majorly
• mightily
• mighty
• monstrous [chiefly dialect]
• mortally
• most
• much
• particularly
• passing
• rattling
• real
• really
• right
• roaring
• roaringly
• seriously
• severely
• so
• sore
• sorely
• spanking
• specially
• stinking
• such
• super
• supremely
• surpassingly
• terribly
• that
• thumping
• too
• unco
• uncommonly
• vastly
• very
• vitally
• way
• whacking
• wicked
• wildly

Examples of desperately in a Sentence

all of a sudden everything went desperately wrong

Recent Examples on the Web

As Chelsea’s players carve out their fifth straight UEFA Conference League victory, those in the stands desperately attempt to stay warm. —Lucy Oliva, The Athletic, 14 Dec. 2024

The Cardinals are desperately trying to move the veteran third baseman, so a trade would likely come quite easily. —Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024

The oppressed, however, are desperately trying to be heard. —Matthew Continetti, National Review, 14 Dec. 2024

Subsequent episodes have witnessed the Dutton family grappling with the patriarch’s absence while fighting desperately to save their massive Montana ranch from financial ruin. —Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

desperate + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1