as in extremely
to a great degree
all of a sudden everything went desperately wrong
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
While California desperately needs comprehensive tax relief, the qualification of the Local Taxpayer Protection Act to Save Proposition 13 for the November ballot is an important first step in reclaiming California for the state’s beleaguered taxpayers.
—
Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2026
Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon had a prime look at a wide-open goal 5:40 into overtime, only to have his shot blocked by Mikey Anderson as Forsberg desperately dove to his right.
—Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
The Dolphins desperately need an edge player who can defend the run.
—Omar Kelly
april 22, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
All of this natural beauty is a real salve, feeding the soul as desperately needed given the current state of this country and the world.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desperately
Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2026
Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon had a prime look at a wide-open goal 5:40 into overtime, only to have his shot blocked by Mikey Anderson as Forsberg desperately dove to his right.
—Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
The Dolphins desperately need an edge player who can defend the run.
—Omar Kelly
april 22, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
All of this natural beauty is a real salve, feeding the soul as desperately needed given the current state of this country and the world.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desperately
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperately
Adverb
-
These special releases can be extremely valuable, especially if only a small batch is issued.—
Nina Derwin,
Martha Stewart,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The innermost region of any solar system, closest to the parent star, will be extremely hot and subject to large amounts of radiation.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
However, the path to the starting lineup may not be terribly long a wait for Parker.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
All told, the destructive flooding killed at least 136 people along a several-mile stretch of the river, raising questions about how things went so terribly wrong.—
Jim Vertuno,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
In December, his newspaper The Washington Post, against the wishes of staffers, launched an AI podcast feature that badly regurgitates its articles, with predictably disastrous results.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The badly decomposed remains of a woman were found Wednesday evening in a dumpster near an Oakland freeway offramp, authorities said.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
And yes, in 2026, rage coming from either side of the aisle is an incredibly powerful tool for marketing.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But there’s something incredibly unnatural about the fast attention of the internet.—
Charlie Harding,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
This other cousin is now in her mid-70s and has always enjoyed a very luxurious life due to the business success of her father – my uncle – and our grandfather.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
-
With the naked eye and especially through good binoculars, its conjunction with a slender crescent moon on May 18 will be very pleasing to see.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
Adverb
-
Kinahan’s caution came too late.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Section Two of the 1965 Voting Rights Act aimed to prevent mapmakers from weakening the voting power of racial minorities by either packing them into one district or spreading them out across too many districts to have an impact.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Gas surges to highest level since 2022 As the cost of crude climbs, so do the prices of gasoline and other fuel that keep equipment, cars, buses, delivery trucks and airplanes running.—
Mae Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
The New York Knicks emphatically did so with a scoreline that should be reserved for horror movies.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adverb
-
Had a really nice fastball that got him through the backend of his start.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
-
But this is really a poor trend, an anti-Democratic trend for the country.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desperately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperately. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
