desperately

adverb

des·​per·​ate·​ly ˈde-sp(ə-)rət-lē How to pronounce desperately (audio)
-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

Examples of desperately in a Sentence

all of a sudden everything went desperately wrong
Recent Examples on the Web This dynamic was already apparent in the immediate aftermath of October 7, when the Biden administration sent additional Patriot batteries to the Middle East, drawing from a limited stock of systems that Kyiv was desperately seeking. Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 15 July 2024 As residents desperately try to cool their homes with generators, carbon monoxide poisoning has become a serious concern. Dalia Faheid, CNN, 13 July 2024 Graphcore, which counts Nvidia and Arm among its rivals, had been hemorrhaging money for a couple years and was desperately seeking a buyer. Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 12 July 2024 Having lost 17 of their last 23 games, the Yankees desperately needed to escape the jam. Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 11 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for desperately 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'desperately.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

desperate + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of desperately was circa 1547

Dictionary Entries Near desperately

Cite this Entry

“Desperately.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desperately. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.

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