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 The driver was unconscious; Boyd’s stepfather and his crew scoured the site desperately. — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 Plus, cutting bait with the coach would mean paying one of the biggest buyouts in the history of the sport — money that USC could desperately use to keep building up the talent in the program. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 Knoxville said to IndieWire, searching desperately for the answer. — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2026 Books and stationary, burned for fuel in times of starvation and now subject to Israeli import restrictions, remain in desperately short supply. — Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 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
  • Experts attribute the extremely warm ocean temperatures that fueled Rachel, which peaked as a Category 3 hurricane, in part to El Niño.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • All this makes the Home app very easy to use, but extremely underpowered.
    — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of extremely
Adverb
  • Susanna Moore is terribly important to us, more so than any of Hemingway’s gallant girls.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The Nazis employed the V-2 heavily during this time, but the rocket was not terribly accurate.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of terribly
Adverb
  • The extraordinary female characters at the heart of the show will be pushed to extremes, behave deliciously badly and have a whole lot of fun along the way.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • But few could have anticipated just how badly the film would bomb.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of badly
Adverb
  • Indeed, the diamond was quite an exquisite addition, considering that such gemstones over 10 carats are incredibly rare.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • For now, this perfect mix of burgeoning youth and senior leadership has come together to create an incredibly deep team with big dreams.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of incredibly
Adverb
  • The hotel is very grown up, and therefore not exactly relaxing with very young kids (or, at least, not with my kid)—although children are not discouraged.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Thirteen are rated at very high risk or in default, and 23 have no rating from the big agencies, which cuts them from international bond markets.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of very
Adverb
  • Jaguar’s customers were also aging, and its competition—previously BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Audi, and the like—were going electric, too.
    — Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2026
  • But even with 22 tracks to work with, the sound too often defaults to a similar muted backdrop, which blurs some of the less distinct songs together.
    — Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of too
Adverb
  • And my wife, Amisha, who had never seemed so tired, had also never looked so full of unabashed love.
    — Raj Panjabi, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In a season where layering and personal styling are so important, the belt is an essential accessory.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of so
Adverb
  • The phone encounters were conceived before the pandemic, but once quarantine began, the idea of entertaining people through interactive phone plays really began to pick up steam.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • But really, traveling around with my best friends was such an incredibly bonding, grounding experience.
    — Liam Hess, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of really

Browse Nearby Words

desperate
desperately
desperateness
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Cite this Entry

“Desperately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperately. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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