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 Few experiences are more frustrating than lying awake at night while desperately wanting to fall asleep. — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026 Rajesh Kumar Ram desperately searched through a list for his son's name. — Arkansas Online, 30 Aug. 2026 The Blue Jays desperately need Guerrero to regain his consistent offensive production. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 His issues mainly get boiled down to desperately needing to masturbate. — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 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
  • This pre-seasoned, ¼ inch thick steel heat extremely evenly with minimal disparity between the center and edges.
    — Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Search for jet quenching Previous experiments suggest that a millionth of a second after the Big Bang, even as temperatures remained extremely high, matter did not behave like gas but instead like liquid with very low viscosity.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of extremely
Adverb
  • Although none of these trails are terribly technical, there’s still an inherent risk that comes with hiking.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Patrick Cantlay is not one who sounds terribly interested in going.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of terribly
Adverb
  • Loop’s status has been a hot-button issue around the team after his badly missed 44-yard field goal in Week 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season kept the Ravens out of the playoffs and accelerated the end of the John Harbaugh era.
    — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Barely a week goes by without another story about rogue agents or models behaving badly.
    — Don Schuerman, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of badly
Adverb
  • This 30-percent-off New Balance pair is incredibly versatile and goes with anything.
    — Anna Traver, InStyle, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In fact, bets on whether people would live or die were incredibly popular.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of incredibly
Adverb
  • The artists at The Library Show paid The Garage’s proposed no Milwaukee rap very little mind.
    — Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Films can change the world, or at the very least, the people who walk it.
    — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of very
Adverb
  • Aside from happy love affairs that usually turn into friendships, there might seem from the outside to be too little family in my life.
    — Gloria Steinem, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The slouchy, mockneck sweater is back again, this time with plenty of cropped and cardigan options, too.
    — Jordan Julian, InStyle, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of too
Adverb
  • There’s so little cohesion from week to week that last episode’s dramatic cliffhanger — Susan in handcuffs after Rhonda accuses her of kidnapping — is brushed off in an aside in the opening scene.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
  • While most of us are capable of lifting weights or heading outside for a brisk walk each day, not everyone is so fortunate, leading researchers to consider other ways to encourage muscles to produce plenty of hormones.
    — Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of so
Adverb
  • There’s no point building a humanoid robot that’s really good at a specific task and not very good at generalising.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The joy Lisa has with her RHUGT cast compared with the dread her RHOSLC cast seems to bring her really bums me out — especially because of how much of this trip is championing the sisterhood of Housewives.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of really

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desperately
desperateness
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Cite this Entry

“Desperately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperately. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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