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# desperately

«desperately» in Mova's school dictionary: **Very much, so much it hurts: she desperately wanted a puppy** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

adverb (desperately)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Very much, so much it hurts: she desperately wanted a puppy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/#m1)

2) In a wild way, because things are bad and there is little hope: he swam desperately for the shore. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/#m2)

3) Extremely, very badly: they were desperately poor; it was desperately cold. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

Used in stories to show great need, fear or effort. In news: people desperately need help after a flood. In The Wind in the Willows Toad desperately wants motor cars; Mole runs desperately through the Wild Wood.

### examples

- I desperately need a drink of water. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/#x1)
- The kitten clung desperately to the branch. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/#x2)
- Mole ran desperately through the Wild Wood. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/#x3)
- She desperately wanted to win. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/#x4)
- The family were desperately poor. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/#x5)
- He looked around desperately for his mum. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/#x6)
- Toad desperately wanted a motor car. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/#x7)
- We were desperately tired after the hike. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/#x8)
- And Pinocchio swam desperately with his arms, his body, his legs, his feet. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/#x9)

### note

Adverb of «desperate». Spelling trap: desp-E-rate (not desparate). Do not use it for small wishes in careful writing; it means a very strong need or a bad situation.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «desperately» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desperately/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.