desperately

adverb

des·​per·​ate·​ly ˈde-sp(ə-)rət-lē 

-spərt-

1

: in a way that involves despair, extreme measures, or rashness : in a desperate manner

struggling desperately

desperately crying out

2

: extremely, terribly

desperately tired

desperately important

Synonyms of desperately

• extremely
• terribly
• badly
• incredibly
• very
• too
• so
• really
• damn
• damned
• highly
• severely
• seriously
• intensely
• that
• greatly
• far
• especially
• wildly
• fiercely
• heavily
• much

Examples of desperately in a Sentence

all of a sudden everything went desperately wrong

Recent Examples on the Web

Some car redesigns are desperately needed so a model can compete in its segment, while others solidify top positions for competitive vehicles that only get better with time. — Charles Singh, USA Today, 2 July 2026

Brown also gives the 76ers someone with vast playoff experience, something the franchise desperately needs. — Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

The Sharks desperately needed some of that functional gravity. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 2 July 2026

Firefighters deployed to the Turkey Creek pumping station and tried desperately to keep the engine room dry. — Kansas City Public Library Staff, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

desperate + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1