Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of urgency
First recorded in 1530–40; from Late Latin urgentia “pressure,” from urgent-, stem of urgēns “pressing” ( see urgent) + -ia -ia
Explanation
When something has urgency it requires speedy action. If your weather report is flashing red and predicting a hurricane with record rainfall, that forecast would give some urgency to getting that hole in your roof fixed. Urgency comes from the Latin urgere, which means "press, or drive," and it's related to the English word urge. If there's urgency to a situation, it's a pressing issue and you have to respond quickly! Urgency also means an earnest and insistent need. When your friend calls and tells you, "Get into the basement, the hurricane is coming," there would be an urgency in your friend's voice that would make you scurry downstairs to safety.
Vocabulary lists containing urgency
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 6
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Urgency alone, he warns, can burn people out.
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026
"Urgency and unity is what we need," he said, calling for bipartisan support for "creating an aggravated offence for hate preaching" and other new laws.
From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025
"When I went through my perimenopause I had no idea bladder urgency was an issue. Urgency tends to be the first symptom," Ruth said.
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2025
Urgency bills, which require support from two-thirds of lawmakers, become law immediately with the governor’s signature.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2024
Urgency to see Ivan forgotten, she backtracked to the miller’s shop and went behind the row, running to the smithy’s back door.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
