urgent

adjective

ur·​gent ˈər-jənt 

1

a

: calling for immediate attention : pressing

urgent appeals

an urgent need

b

: conveying a sense of urgency

2

: urging insistently : importunate

urgently adverb

Synonyms

• acute
• pressing
• dire
• intense
• compelling
• emergent
• desperate
• critical

Examples of urgent in a Sentence

We've come to deliver an urgent message.

an urgent appeal for assistance

He addressed us in an urgent manner.

An urgent voice came over the intercom, telling us to leave the building immediately.

Recent Examples on the Web

Be suspicious of urgent messages One of the most alarming details in the Anthropic report was how the hacker used AI to craft convincing extortion notes. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025

Would this have been soon enough for the urgent demands of the Camp Nou to be revamped? —Pol Ballús, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025

Dear Comcast NBCUniversal Team, The tragic loss of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old father, husband, and advocate for open debate, whose faith was important to him, reminds us of the fragility of life and the urgent need for unity in our nation. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025

For now, however, a more urgent task is understanding how Brazil got this prosecution done. —Omar G. Encarnación, Time, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin urgent-, urgens, present participle of urgēre

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing urgent

• urgent care

Rhymes for urgent

• serjeant
• convergent
• detergent
• divergent
• emergent
• insurgent
• resurgent

Kids Definition

urgent

adjective

ur·​gent ˈər-jənt 

1

a

: calling for immediate attention : pressing

an urgent need for food

b

: indicating an urgent desire or need

an urgent manner

2

: urging very earnestly

urgently adverb