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

But after brushing off the injury, Plum returned to the lineup and finished the game, embodying the grit the Sparks desperately needed. —Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025

Police vehicle dashcam footage shows quick-thinking officers in a life-or-death incident, desperately pulling the driver from the car just after midnight May 12 as the railroad crossing gates are dropping down with warning lights flashing and bells sounding. —Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2025

It's intended for vulnerable populations, for young, single, pregnant women and the elderly and the disabled and people who desperately need those resources. —/ Cbs News, CBS News, 25 May 2025

While Ramsey could desperately help this team, the Bengals don't typically make trades. —Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

desperate + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1