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

Choose the most important job and let something less urgent wait. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026

The effort to block Iran from international financing networks in other countries represents an especially urgent threat, the report said. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026

And perhaps that is precisely why the question of what a human space can be is not less relevant in such a world, but even more urgent! — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026

More than 84,000 people are estimated to have been impacted by the catastrophe, requiring urgent help to secure shelter, food and healthcare. — Kosh Raj Koirala, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 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