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

The number of victims is expected to keep rising as people desperately dig through the rubble, with little help from authorities. — Syra Ortiz-Blanes, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026

But the reality this week, as the House leaves Washington until September, is a GOP desperately trying to tamp down its own spiking internal tension and save its congressional majorities. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 July 2026

Both Roach, coming off three consecutive draws in title fights, and Zepeda, looking to bounce back from a loss, desperately need a decisive win. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Fedorov’s assault on the old ways – instead using robots, drones, automation, data to determine why troops were injured – all made sense in a country desperately short of troops. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 22 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

desperate + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1