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 day after Talarico won, Harris dispatched an urgent fundraising appeal for Talarico. —Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026

This too, Fishback joked, would make for a good headline the next day, but Sneako had a more urgent concern about their prospective inauguration. —Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026

While environmental documentaries have once heavily permeated doc festivals and streaming platforms, nowadays, war docs have taken up a lot of the space when talking about timely, urgent films. —Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 11 Mar. 2026

The Tampa Bay Times launched the Environment Hub in 2025 to focus on some of Florida’s most urgent and enduring challenges. —Emily L. Mahoney, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 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