What does urgently mean?
Urgently is an adverb meaning that something needs to be done immediately or that a matter requires prompt, serious attention. It is commonly used in instructions, warnings, formal requests, reports, and conversations about emergencies. Saying that medicine is urgently needed, that a team must respond urgently, or that someone is asking for help urgently shows that delay could have serious consequences. The word is more forceful than quickly, which may describe speed without necessarily implying importance. In everyday speech, it can emphasize that action is expected at once, while in professional contexts it helps communicate the seriousness of a situation. Because it derives from the idea of pressing or driving someone toward action, urgently conveys both immediacy and pressure. It is useful when the speed of a response matters, especially when missing a deadline or failing to act could lead to harm, loss, or difficulty.
adverbIn a way that requires immediate attention or action, or with a strong sense of pressing importance.
- In a way that requires immediate attention or action.
"The emergency services were urgently needed after the accident."
"The hospital issued an urgent request for more blood, and donors responded urgently."
"She spoke urgently to the negotiators, warning that the deadline was only hours away."
Urgently comes from the Latin urgere, meaning “to press” or “drive,” so its sense has always been connected with being pressed into immediate action.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does urgently come from?
Urgently derives from the adjective urgent, which comes from Latin urgere, “to press, push, or drive.” The same Latin root appears in English words such as urge, urgency, and urging. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, urgent came to mean pressing or demanding immediate attention, and the adverb urgently developed later to describe action taken with that pressing quality.
How urgently is actually used
Urgently is widely used in formal, professional, and everyday registers. It is stronger than simply saying that something should be done quickly, because it conveys immediate importance or pressure; however, overuse can make a statement sound dramatic.
Easily confused with urgently
Urgent is an adjective describing something that demands immediate attention, while urgently is an adverb describing how an action is carried out or how strongly a need is expressed.