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
- nonurgent adjective
- superurgent adjective
- unurgent adjective
- urgency noun
- urgently adverb
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.
"It is urgent to put an end to this deadly situation: open the borders, establish safe routes for passage, and charter ferries."
From Barron's • May 3, 2026
In practice, it is gumming up urgent upgrades.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Italy's President Sergio Mattarella has requested urgent clarification from the justice ministry following reports that a woman close to late ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may have obtained an official pardon on false pretences.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
The resulting novels are poignant, urgent and brilliant.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
Her voice was low and scratched and urgent.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
