urgency

[ur-juhn-see]

noun

plural

urgencies 

1. urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.

2. urgencies, urgent requirements or needs.

Other Word Forms

• superurgency noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of urgency¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from Late Latin urgentia “pressure,” from urgent-, stem of urgēns “pressing” ( urgent ) + -ia -ia

Example Sentences

Images later shared by the White House showed the urgency of the moment.

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The 9 September attack on Doha also created a new sense of urgency among Arab and Muslim majority countries.

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“There doesn’t seem to be any urgency on China’s side, and more urgency coming from the farm community in the U.S.”

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“India must gain greater economic strength─and do so with a sense of urgency,” he said.

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McMahon has described her agency moving “at lightning rocket speed,” and the department’s actions in just one week in September reflect that urgency.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• desperation 
• necessity 
• pressure 
• seriousness