Synonyms

desperately

American

[des-per-it-lee, -prit-] / ˈdɛs pər ɪt li, -prɪt- /

adverb

in a reckless or dangerous way because of hopelessness or urgency.

In the movie, he’s the object of an intense police manhunt and scrambles desperately around Belfast trying to escape.
in a way that shows urgent need or desire.

He is highly motivated to put his all into everything he does, trying desperately to prove himself.
to a very serious or dangerous degree that leaves little hope.

People without medical insurance may often suffer without care until they are desperately ill.
extremely or excessively.

My weekend will be desperately dull, as I've been on vacation all week and have to catch up with work.

Other Word Forms

quasi-desperately adverb

Etymology

Origin of desperately

desperate ( def. ) + -ly

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.

Players from the lower-ranked teams expressed their keenness to perform, not just to cause an upset but also to prove they are deserving of the greater opportunities they so desperately seek.

From BBC

“We desperately need to understand what the baseline of human flatulence patterns are,” says Brantley Hall, the study’s principal researcher at UMD.

From The Wall Street Journal

Jonah thought about how serious Katherine had looked the night before, commanding, “Don’t do this,” how desperately she seemed to want him and his parents to just act normal.

From Literature

Anna said the breakdown of her daughter's adoption was something she was "trying desperately to avoid" but said she could understand how, without support, it could happen.

From BBC

Deulofeu desperately wants to feel that rush again, to complete what he feels would be the longest recovery ever.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023