desperately en · ADV
Pronunciation
Etymology
Etymology tree English desperate Middle English -ly English -ly English desperately From desperate + -ly.
Meanings
-
In a desperate manner; without regard to danger or safety; recklessly.
She desperately grabbed at the nearby branches as she heard the branch she was standing on start to snap.
I just need you miserably Broken man come to me I just need you desperately Just want to change your mind
1999, “Stately Lover”, performed by Lacuna Coil:I could desperately do with some coffee right now.
The patient, who lumbers painfully, has a question: She desperately wants a knee replacement, but doesn’t understand why three doctors have rejected her. Ms. Purdie translates doctorspeak.
2007 August 21, Jan Hoffman, “Soldiering On, Home to Home, in a Squeezed Health System”, in The New York Times:
-
extremely
They would be surprised to discover that we're all actually fighting for the same thing; that is, the sacredness of human love. The trouble is, they have almost every one of their facts totally and desperately wrong. Those who would lecture us on the "immorality" of our lives don't know the first thing about how we actually live them.
1991 February 11, Jeffery R. Nickel, “Going To The Chapel”, in Gay Community News, volume 18, number 29, page 9:The race for silver medal was desperately close, they needed a photo finish to separate the runners.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most desperately | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more desperately | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Translations (24)
ru отча́янно (in a desperate manner) · fr désespérément (in a desperate manner) · gl desesperadamente (in a desperate manner) · pl rozpaczliwie (in a desperate manner) · nb desperat (in a desperate manner) · ca desesperadament (in a desperate manner) · pl desperacko (in a desperate manner) · he נואשות (in a desperate manner) · da fortvivlet (in a desperate manner) · cmn 拼命地 (in a desperate manner) · cmn 死命地 (in a desperate manner) · da desperat (in a desperate manner) · cs zoufale (in a desperate manner) · nn desperat (in a desperate manner) · uk розпа́чливо (in a desperate manner) · uk відчайду́шно (in a desperate manner) · eo malespere (in a desperate manner) · hu kétségbeesetten (in a desperate manner) · es desesperadamente (in a desperate manner) · de verzweifelt (in a desperate manner) · pt desesperadamente (in a desperate manner) · ja 必死になって (in a desperate manner) · nl wanhopig (in a desperate manner) · fi epätoivoisesti (in a desperate manner)