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

Toilet humor aside, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms is off to a strong start, the first episode setting up Dunk as a lovable underdog desperately trying to make a name for himself in a world where names matter. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

Multiple passengers later said that either Ramseur or Allen were desperately trying to flee from Goetz, even trying to run through the walls of the train as if being pursued by a slasher in a horror movie. —Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026

Europe still desperately needs NATO. —Ivan Krastev, Time, 21 Jan. 2026

Watters and others who testified in support of the bill Tuesday said more revenue is desperately needed to keep New Hampshire highways safe. —Neal Riley, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

desperate + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1