🇬🇧 Desperately meaning: English Vocabulary Flash Card

"Desperately" means doing something in a way that shows you really, really want or need it, often because you feel worried, scared, or out of options. If you do something desperately, you’re trying as hard as you possibly can, like when you desperately look for the bathroom when you really have to go, or desperately search for your lost homework before school.

I desperately tried to look cool on my bike, then immediately ran into a very rude bush.

I desperately tried to whistle, but only managed to spit on my own shirt.

My turtle desperately sprinted—very slowly—toward the last piece of lettuce.

I was so hungry I desperately sniffed my sandwich like a detective smelling clues.

I desperately pretended to be a statue when the teacher asked who ate in class.

A small boy watched his red balloon hit a tree. He desperately ran after it. He desperately reached up. His sister desperately climbed three low branches. The balloon slipped higher. He desperately called for help. An old man desperately took a long stick, poked the branch, and the balloon fell. The boy laughed and hugged it.

This word is at the B2 level, which means it’s used in more complex conversations and texts. It helps you discuss abstract ideas, express opinions clearly, and engage in discussions on a variety of topics, both personal and professional.

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