DESPERATELY Synonyms: 138 Similar and Opposite Words

desperately

adverb

ˈde-sp(ə-)rət-lē

Definition of desperately

as in extremely

to a great degree all of a sudden everything went desperately wrong

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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 restaurant chain’s reputation for remaining open when people desperately needed a place to warm up, charge devices and grab a hot meal became a fairly reliable — albeit amusing — resource to help track recovery efforts. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026 The latest drought monitor has been released, and while drought conditions have improved, DFW still desperately needs the rain. — CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, Burgess’ young niece Zoey (Aimee Laurence) suffers a crushed liver in the explosion and desperately needs a transplant. — Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2026 Mahomes took a shotgun snap, rolled right to evade pressure and then desperately fired incomplete. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for desperately

Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperately

Adverb

Some wondered whether Schrödinger’s equation might be an approximation that works extremely well at the microscopic scale but breaks down at the macroscopic scale, which would mean the measurement postulate of the Copenhagen interpretation is right.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
In the meantime, no one should refrain from using sunscreen, which is extremely well-proven to cause cancer.

— Tracy Middleton, Allure, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of extremely

Adverb

Another issue is that AI detectors are still not terribly reliable, which Vara addresses in her piece, citing a number of studies to bolster the credentials of Pangram.

— James Folta, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Probably nothing too terribly bad, especially since Denver has done it without much offensive consistency.

— Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of terribly

Adverb

The Anthropic report is the latest warning issued by the company concerning rogue AI agents operating on their own and sometimes behaving badly.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Although the house is still standing, the interior was left so badly damaged that the family can no longer live there.

— Joan Murray, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of badly

Adverb

While these issues can be addressed, the costs can be incredibly high, and under Florida law, developers are only on the hook for anything identified within the first seven years after a building is handed over to the homeowners association.

— Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
The pre-selection debates about three- or four-loss SEC squads and some team no one actually watches will prove incredibly tiresome, too.

— Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of incredibly

Adverb

One of the other things that Claude noticed was that these array of associated reverse transcriptases seem to be isolated to jumbo phages, which have very large genomes for bacteriophage.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
There’s very few cases where a fan actually gets to stand beside the man and add onto the man’s legacy.

— Christine Imarenezor, VIBE.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of very

Adverb

There were some surprises in the rankings, too, with the Fendi Spy bag seeing a 127 percent spike in average resale value amid this year’s Y2K revival.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
But while fans wait to see what happens, Davies, despite no longer being involved in the show, assured that a new series was definitely happening and there wouldn’t be too long to wait.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of too

Adverb

Is there a future for the kinds of musical deja vu the Avalanches are so adept at evoking?

— Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
The state had planned to phase in its school-funding formula over several years, so the $700 million gap can’t simply be blamed on EdChoice.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of so

Adverb

And to have this chance to see these birds is really thrilling.

— JOSEPH FREDERICK, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
In Our Opinion goes beyond the headlines to examine what decisions really mean, where policies succeed or fail, and what leaders should do next.

— Washington Examiner, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of really

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desperate

desperately

desperateness

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“Desperately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperately. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of desperately

adverb

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