desperately

adverb

ˈde-sp(ə-)rət-lē How to pronounce desperately (audio)
Definition of desperatelynext
as in extremely
to a great degree all of a sudden everything went desperately wrong

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of desperately Some car redesigns are desperately needed so a model can compete in its segment, while others solidify top positions for competitive vehicles that only get better with time. — Charles Singh, USA Today, 2 July 2026 Brown also gives the 76ers someone with vast playoff experience, something the franchise desperately needs. — Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Firefighters deployed to the Turkey Creek pumping station and tried desperately to keep the engine room dry. — Kansas City Public Library Staff, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026 And England had been desperately poor for long spells of the game, tense, panicked, shambolic in defence. — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for desperately
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperately
  1. extremely
  2. terribly
  3. badly
  4. incredibly
  5. very
  6. too
  7. so
  8. really
Adverb
  • The team turned to the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, a stadium-sized synchrotron facility that produces extremely bright X-ray beams.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 July 2026
  • Teasing out the impact of a small dose of radiation that occurs in addition to all those other exposures is extremely challenging, and the impact of extremely low exposures has not been decisively demonstrated.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026
Definition of extremely
Adverb
  • The reputations of our decent and hard-working journalists were terribly impugned, and today they have been exonerated.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 7 July 2026
  • Your assumption of my competence, while gracious, would be terribly misguided.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of terribly
Adverb
  • Schumer badly misread the Democratic electorate and tried to clear the field for his preferred candidate, Maine’s 78-year-old governor, Janet Mills, leaving a vacuum that Platner filled.
    — Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
  • Industrial policy fails not only when badly designed at the top.
    — Nili Gilbert, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of badly
Adverb
  • Each location was incredibly challenging, but each location was challenging in a different way.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 6 July 2026
  • Dan, your schedule is incredibly busy with this, Rick and Morty, Krapopolis and execing on Haunted Hotel.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 July 2026
Definition of incredibly
Adverb
  • Dior presented its Diorissima collection at Villa Dior, a space dedicated to Dior’s very important customers (VICs).
    — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 10 July 2026
  • The stewards of the forest About 100 miles northwest of the Tahoe Basin, lower down in the foothills, survivors of the epic 2018 Camp fire that destroyed the town of Paradise have a very different relationship with forest stewards.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Definition of very
Adverb
  • Spindle said the Samueli Foundation has launched a third fund, OC Plus, that’s aimed at helping local nonprofits collaborate on projects that might be too big, or too complex, for a single nonprofit.
    — Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
  • But that is labor intensive, and when a fire burns thousands of acres, the time and cost involved can be too high.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Definition of too
Adverb
  • France could probably field a B and C team that would reach the quarterfinals, their depth is so staggering.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
  • Despite the risk of purchasing through a third-party platform such as StubHub, many fans opted to do so to avoid the 30% FIFA resale tax, believing that the Fan Protect Guarantee would safeguard their order.
    — Lily Wright, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Definition of so
Adverb
  • However, none of them will really turn heads like the Tetra, or offer anything resembling a rear suspension.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 July 2026
  • Here is everything to know about how common anxiety in dogs really is, what the research says about scent work and how to start using it at home.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 July 2026
Definition of really

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Cite this Entry

“Desperately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperately. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of desperately for Spanish Speakers

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