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

It was meant to inspire joy at a time when Goodrich felt college sports desperately needed some. — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

On the Disney+ Marvel show, Abdul-Mateen played Simon Williams, an aspiring actor who desperately wants to star in a remake of the film Wonder Man. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 20 Aug. 2026

The Rockies gave the Dodgers the get-right series the two-time defending champions desperately needed. — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026

Having new emerging weapons on offense is what the Giants and Dart desperately need, though. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

desperate + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1