urgent
Americanadjective
-
compelling or requiring immediate action or attention; dire; pressing.
an urgent matter.
- Synonyms:
- desperate, imperative
-
insistent or earnest in solicitation; importunate, as a person.
an urgent pleader.
-
expressed with insistence, as requests or appeals.
an urgent tone of voice.
adjective
-
requiring or compelling speedy action or attention
the matter is urgent
an urgent message
-
earnest and persistent
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of urgent
First recorded in 1490–1500; from Latin urgent- (stem of urgēns ), present participle of urgēre “to press, force, drive”; see urge, -ent
Explanation
If something is urgent it requires immediate attention or action. If you break your leg, you'll need urgent attention at the hospital — that means the doctors will tend to you without delay. Urgent comes from the Latin word urgentem, meaning "to press hard, urge." You can see that urgent contains the word urge, meaning "to demand or insist." When you get an urgent message, you need to drop what you're doing to deal with it. An urgent need, like hunger, is a pressing one. If you're a music fan, you might know the song "Urgent" by the band Foreigner. The song's lyrics "make it fast, make it urgent" and its frenetic style help define the word.
Vocabulary lists containing urgent
A Long Walk to Water
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List 7
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Bud, Not Buddy
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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.
Brown said he was initially diagnosed with “bad food poisoning” but after multiple visits to urgent care and shedding 20 pounds, the health care team conducted a diagnostic fecal test and discovered Brown had cyclosporiasis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Martin has written to the UK government calling for more urgent actions, including improving border biosecurity to prevent African Swine Fever entering the country.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The United Nations launched an urgent appeal Wednesday for nearly $300 million towards Venezuela earthquake relief operations after the death toll from the disaster rose to more than 3,600 people.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
France’s Macron argued in an encrypted group chat with his fellow leaders that they should travel together to Washington for an urgent meeting with Trump to support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Penelope may have been in urgent need of transportation, but she was no fool.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
