urgent

[ur-juhnt]

adjective

1. compelling or requiring immediate action or attention; dire; pressing.

   an urgent matter.

   Synonyms: desperate, imperative

2. insistent or earnest in solicitation; importunate, as a person.

   an urgent pleader.

3. expressed with insistence, as requests or appeals.

   an urgent tone of voice.

urgent

/ ˈɜːdʒənsɪ, ˈɜːdʒənt /

adjective

1. requiring or compelling speedy action or attention

   the matter is urgent

   an urgent message

2. earnest and persistent

Other Word Forms

• urgently adverb
• nonurgent adjective
• superurgent adjective
• unurgent adjective
• urgency noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of urgent¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; from Latin urgent- (stem of urgēns ), present participle of urgēre “to press, force, drive”; urge, -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of urgent¹

C15: via French from Latin urgent-, urgens, present participle of urgēre to _urge

Example Sentences

He will call for reform in the sector and an urgent correction to "fundamentally misguided environmental regulation".

Read more on BBC

During the war, adapting to the urgent need for cash, many small businessmen who previously offered money transfer and exchange services began charging customers high commission to turn electronic transfers into cash.

Read more on BBC

"I never feel, or very rarely feel, that urgent hunger that I used to."

Read more on BBC

In response the government launched an urgent review into the use and cost of taxis to transfer asylum seekers from their hotels to appointments in September.

Read more on BBC

Highland Council officials recommended writing to the Home Office to seek "urgent clarity" on the proposals at the start of November.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• compelling 
• critical 
• crucial 
• demanding 
• essential 
• immediate 
• imperative 
• important 
• indispensable 
• necessary 
• persuasive 
• pressing 
• serious 
• vital 
• weighty