desperately
Americanadverb
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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.
If you're desperately looking for work or utterly miserable in your current role, it can be tempting to dive straight into applying for any job - ignoring personal happiness.
From BBC
Their past three matches have all been against teams either mired in the relegation zone, in the cases of Wolves and Burnley, or trying desperately to stay out of it, such as Leeds.
From BBC
Iran, where an insurgent civil society desperately awaits support?
It is a further blow to England in a desperately disappointing series, which they surrendered with losses in the opening three Tests.
From BBC
Jordan became a part owner and lead decision maker with the Washington Wizards, a moribund franchise desperately seeking a turnaround.
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.
