urgent

adjective

ur·​gent ˈər-jənt 

1

a

: calling for immediate attention : pressing

urgent appeals

problems of an urgent nature

an urgent need

b

: conveying a sense of urgency

an urgent voice

2

: urging insistently : importunate

an urgent lover

urgently adverb

Synonyms of urgent

• acute
• pressing
• dire
• intense
• compelling
• emergent
• desperate
• critical

Examples of urgent in a Sentence

We've come to deliver an urgent message.

an urgent appeal for assistance

He addressed us in an urgent manner.

An urgent voice came over the intercom, telling us to leave the building immediately.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Roseville Telephone Museum has permanently closed after 22 years, part of a broader strain on local institutions where 90% of Sacramento Area Museums members report urgent volunteer shortages. — Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026

How stakeholders are responding The UN views space safety and space sustainability as urgent priorities. — David Zamora, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026

The discovery prompted urgent government warnings and a rush to install security fixes after details of the vulnerabilities leaked ahead of schedule. — Alexa Lomonaco,matthew J. Belvedere,jeff Marks, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

To return to it now, all these years later, when its questions feel as urgent as ever, is profoundly moving. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin urgent-, urgens, present participle of urgēre

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing urgent

• urgent care

Rhymes for urgent

• convergent
• detergent
• divergent
• emergent
• insurgent
• resurgent

Kids Definition

urgent

adjective

ur·​gent ˈər-jənt 

1

a

: calling for immediate attention : pressing

an urgent need for food

b

: indicating an urgent desire or need

an urgent manner

2

: urging very earnestly

urgently adverb