desperatelyadverb
uk/ˈdes.pər.ət.li/us/ˈdes.pɚ.ət.li/desperately adverb (SERIOUSLY)
B2 extremely or very much:
He was desperately ill.
They desperately wanted a child.
UK She always seems to be desperately busy!
UK He was desperately in love with her.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Linguistics: very & extreme
- abject
- awful
- beyond
- classic
- classical
- deadly
- devastating
- drop dead! idiom
- eminently
- esp
- especially
- heartily
- impossibly
- perfect
- sheer
- specially
- supremely
- thoroughly
- whole
- wide
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desperately adverb (TAKING RISKS)
B2 in a way that shows you are frightened and ready to try anything to change a situation:
They fought desperately for their lives.
More examples
- Doctors tried desperately to reduce the swelling in her brain.
- Blake looked ridiculous, and I tried desperately to keep a straight face.
- The rescuers could hear the sound of the trapped people desperately trying to claw their way through the rubble.
- The flood has left villagers and animals desperately scavenging for food.
- He wanted that job desperately, and was devastated when he failed to get it.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Dangers and threats
- baneful
- black spot
- brinkmanship
- calculated risk
- chance
- darkly
- dodgy
- firetrap
- gamble
- hazard
- hazardous
- hazmat
- high-risk
- hostage
- perilous
- poisoned chalice
- precarious
- pull
- pull a gun, knife, etc. on sb idiom
- treacherous
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