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 days are spent inside an Ebola Treatment Unit caring for patients who are frightened, isolated, and desperately ill. — Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 26 June 2026 That message may resonate strongly with many citizens as families across the country continue desperately searching for missing relatives. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026 Like the real lives of American teens, the show made the everyday problems of high school and teen relationships feel like life and death, giving a gravitas to adolescence desperately needed. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 June 2026 With Austria desperately throwing men forward, a cross nodded back across goal found Wolves striker Kalajdzic, who somehow powered his header through a crowd of bodies to secure a 3-3 draw. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 June 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
  • But everyone on the Spurs shot terribly from deep in the clutch.
    — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 29 June 2026
  • Wonderfully and terribly, everything does happen for Maddie after her adoring bear of a husband, Jake (Eric Rahill), makes a cooking video of her that goes massively viral.
    — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of terribly
Adverb
  • On the way to the oyster farm, Luke asks about a ring Joy is wearing, which turns out to be from an engagement that ended badly.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 30 June 2026
  • Two men were badly burned—one died, and the other remains hospitalized—and the Fiorella’s owners lost two more skiffs.
    — Will Freeman, New Yorker, 30 June 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
  • Despite consuming mass quantities of high-calorie foods during competition season, most professional competitive eaters are very lean.
    — Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Music icon Taylor Swift and football star Travis Kelce, who announced their engagement in August 2025, are anticipated to tie the knot very soon.
    — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of very
Adverb
  • Traditional studios might adopt Chinese models for some preproduction tasks such as concepting, but the geopolitical and intellectual property risks for commercial generations are too prohibitive.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • His father, Brian Cohn, jumped into the pool to try to pull him out, but the suction from the drain was too strong.
    — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of too
Adverb
  • Valentine also testified that the FDA encourages infant formula companies to send in all adverse event reports and that nothing prevented Mead Johnson from doing so.
    — David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • The World Cup brings fans from around the world together and on game day, so does public transportation.
    — Kenny Choi, CBS News, 2 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 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of desperately for Spanish Speakers

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