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

With warrior Mars in your resource zone and quirky Uranus in your home zone, the domestic and material spheres of your life are probably where improvement is most urgent. —Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026

The new services, officials said, would fill an urgent need. —Annika Merrilees, Sacbee.com, 8 Apr. 2026

Acknowledgment can also feel like the bare minimum, but the fight for it grows increasingly urgent when the American President is knocking down public memorials of slavery like tin ducks in a carnival shooting game. —Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026

Sightings in the wild are increasingly uncommon, which makes protective measures and habitat conservation all the more urgent. —Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 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

• serjeant
• 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