desperately
gb/dˈɛspɚɪtli/ us/dˈɛspɚɪtli/
B1
English
~ 1800
Senses
0 senses
adverb
B1
property
1
In a way showing great urgency
In a way that shows a very strong need or want.
Usage pattern:
[someone] desperately [verb]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'desperately' with 'hopelessly'. 'Desperately' focuses on urgency or strong desire, while 'hopelessly' can mean without hope or very badly at something.
Synonyms
urgently (Implies immediate attention is needed, without necessarily strong emotion.)
|
frantically (Suggests urgent action with a sense of panic or chaos.)
Antonyms
calmly (Suggests doing something without urgency or emotional intensity.)
Collocations
desperately need
|desperately want
|desperately try
|desperately search
|desperately hope
Themes
emotions
|daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She desperately needs a job to pay her rent.
- They desperately tried to save the sinking boat.
- He desperately searched for his missing passport before the flight.
- The villagers desperately called for help during the flood.
- I desperately want to see you again.
Learner examples
- I desperately need water.
- He desperately wants a new phone.
- She desperately tries to find her cat.
- We desperately look for the bus stop.
- They desperately ask for help.
adverb
B2
property
2
In a way showing extreme distress
In a way that shows very strong sadness or fear because of a bad situation.
Usage pattern:
[someone] desperately [verb]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this emotional meaning with the urgency meaning; here, the focus is on emotional pain, not just need.
Synonyms
hopelessly (Emphasizes lack of hope rather than urgent effort.)
|
tragically (Adds a sense of deep sadness, often about an outcome.)
Antonyms
confidently (Shows assurance instead of distress.)
Collocations
desperately cry
|desperately plead
|desperately fight
|desperately cling
Themes
emotions
|crisis
Examples
- She desperately pleaded for her child's life.
- He clung to the edge of the cliff desperately.
- The injured man desperately called for someone to help him.
- They desperately fought to survive the storm.
- I desperately prayed it wasn't true.
Learner examples
- He desperately calls his friend for help.
- She desperately cries for her lost dog.
- They desperately try to get out of the fire.
- We desperately hold on during the storm.
- I desperately hope my friend is safe.
adverb
B2
property
3
To an extreme or excessive degree
Used to say that something is very big in amount or level.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is desperately [adjective]
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse 'desperately' as an intensifier where 'very' or 'extremely' would be more natural in neutral contexts.
Synonyms
extremely (Neutral intensifier without emotional tone.)
|
terribly (Intensifier often with negative tone.)
Antonyms
slightly (Indicates a small degree instead of an extreme one.)
Collocations
desperately poor
|desperately ill
|desperately unlucky
Themes
intensity
|description
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The family was desperately poor after losing their jobs.
- He is desperately ill and needs medical attention.
- They were desperately unlucky with the weather on their wedding day.
- She felt desperately lonely in the new city.
- The area is desperately short of clean water.
Learner examples
- I am desperately tired after work.
- They are desperately hungry after the trip.
- She is desperately sick today.
- We are desperately cold in winter.
- He is desperately sad about his dog.
Grammar
Dictionary form
desperately
IPA
GB/dˈɛspɚɪtli/
US/dˈɛspɚɪtli/
Syllables & stress
des - per - ately (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (des)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: desperately
- Plural: desperatelies
Word family
Forms
desperatelies
noun
Core family
desperate
adjective B1
desperation
noun B2
Related words
despair
verb B2
Expressions
cling desperately to
1/klˈɪŋ dˈɛspɚɪtli tə/
fixed phrase
Hold onto something tightly due to fear or need
To hold something very tightly because you are afraid or need it badly.
Examples
- The child clung desperately to her mother's hand in the crowd.
- He clung desperately to the raft after the boat sank.
desperately in need of
1/dˈɛspɚɪtli ˈɪn nˈid əv/
fixed phrase
Having an urgent requirement for something
Needing something very much right now.
Examples
- The refugees are desperately in need of food and water.
- She is desperately in need of a break after months of hard work.
try desperately to
1/tɹˈaɪ dˈɛspɚɪtli tə/
fixed phrase
Make great urgent effort to do something
To work very hard and urgently to do something.
Examples
- He tried desperately to open the stuck door.
- They tried desperately to keep the team together.