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

Survivors spoke about coming home and desperately pulling family members out of the wreckage. — CBS News, 30 July 2026

Juliet also has a run-in with her old friend Caroline Stanbury, the former Lady of London and Real Housewife of Dubai, who desperately needs to return to American-English reality television. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 29 July 2026

The entry documents the boiling point over divisions within the White House communications operation concerning the pandemic, and how desperately Fauci wanted to continue appearing in front of cameras. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 July 2026

Supporters say the development is desperately needed by older farmworkers who have spent decades working in the area. — Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 27 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

desperate + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1