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

And resist the temptation to divert urgent discussions toward thorny disputes. — Geoffrey Irving, Time, 3 Oct. 2026

Mercury in your 6th House squares Mars in your 3rd, making errands, tasks, messages, and everyday conversations feel unusually urgent. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026

Students in the art department at Sacramento State say the 64-year-old building that houses ceramics and printmaking studios, faculty offices, art history classrooms and a couple of galleries is in urgent need of repair. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

But other fairly savvy users among tech mavens don’t point to urgent needs that only Muse can satisfy. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 2 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