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.
"May you be safe and warm. Thank you for your walk of peace. We desperately need this in our world now," one user wrote.
From BBC
He says that we desperately need new methods.
From BBC
That has meant a longer wait for Smith and the 500 others in the West Midlands who desperately need a vital operation.
From BBC
Very few say any of this with any relish; plenty have long desperately wanted Starmer to succeed.
From BBC
They struggle to get access to primary care — or the specialist they need — and must search desperately for providers who accept new patients.
From MarketWatch
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.
