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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 After two planes struck the World Trade Center in New York City, Americans were scared, confused, and desperately looking for healing. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Looking ahead to the 2028 Democratic Presidential primary, the group is desperately hoping to avoid a repeat of the race to the left of 2020. — Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026 After weeks of living on adrenaline, my body is desperately asking for rest. — Chadner Navarro, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026 With only $400 in her account, Theron desperately needed to get a check cashed. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 9 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
  • The romance genre is extremely popular on the publishing side with massive engaged fan bases, and buyers on the film and TV side recognize the potential for that to translate to the screen.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Earthquakes and bradyseisms are very rare; the continents move extremely slowly.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of extremely
Adverb
  • Though Lock and Fleury aren’t Darnold and Kubiak, Wednesday night’s game demonstrated that Seattle is not interested in making terribly many overarching changes from last year’s general offensive approach.
    — Andrew Destin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The other might be the terribly limited prospects of people like Miguelito living in Chivilcoy, a town outside Buenos Aires, where the two latter parts of the film is set.
    — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of terribly
Adverb
  • That was a big play for a team that badly wanted to send a message at the start of the third quarter.
    — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Bech Parker paid for an Uber to transport Trevor to a vet, who told her Trevor’s legs were broken and badly infected.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of badly
Adverb
  • Moments after an incredibly warm greeting, Quinn shoveled coal into the flames and stuck an iron in the forge.
    — Sarah Wood González, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Teach them that an answer can sound incredibly confident and still be wrong.
    — Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of incredibly
Adverb
  • The Microtransat achievement represents more than a tiny boat completing a very long journey.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Turns out the two had a rather close bond, as Elia was very politically savvy compared to the naïve Rhaegar.
    — Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of very
Adverb
  • But Luján says his colleagues are eager to visit him in New Mexico, too, even though Republicans struggled to even field a candidate against him.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • But on health insurance, too, the 2025 numbers don't reflect changes already underway this year.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of too
Adverb
  • Gen either forgets or ignores the request, so Kat has to do it herself.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • By then, however, the tortoise is ten yards farther along, so Achilles must close the new gap.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of so
Adverb
  • Unloading about the time-travel stuff is important, but what really lifts some of the burden from Julia’s shoulders is being able to talk about Claire with Davina.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The second-year starting linebacker was an all-conference selection last season and has really turned it up a notch as a senior.
    — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 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 22 Sep. 2026.

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