desperately
desperately は英検準1級・TOEIC 860・TOEFL 80・IELTS 6.5レベルの英単語で、「必死に、どうしても、絶望的に」という意味があります。発音記号は /ˈdɛsprɪtliː/ です。
意味一覧 (3件)
必死に
解説 Definition
他に方法がないように感じ、焦りながら何とかしようとする気持ちを表す副詞です。たとえば、非常に強い感情や切実さを伴って行動する状況で使われます。絶望的な状態でも、かすかな望みを託して動く様子を描写します。
Desperately means in a way that shows very strong need, fear, or effort. It is used when someone wants or tries to do something very much, often in a difficult or emotional situation. It can also suggest that someone feels there is no easy solution.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
desperately は、他に簡単な道がなく、焦りや切実さを抱えて「必死に」行動する様子を表す副詞です。base の desperate は desperate need、desperate situation、be desperate for のように強い圧力や追い詰められた気持ちを含みます。desperately need help、desperately try、desperately search のように、欲求や努力を強める動詞と一緒に覚えましょう。
Start with the base word desperate. It often appears in phrases like desperate need, desperate situation, and be desperate for, which all suggest strong pressure and no easy way out. Desperately is the adverb form, so it often strengthens verbs like need, want, try, and search with a feeling of panic or urgency.
例文
They desperately needed help during the crisis.
彼らは危機のさなか、必死に援助を必要としていました。
どうしても
(意味 2)解説 Definition
欲しい・必要だ・避けたいという気持ちが非常に強く、何としてでもそうしたいという切迫した気分を表します。desperately wantやdesperately needの形でよく使われ、単なる「とても」より強い願望や必要性を示します。
Desperately means with a very strong feeling that you really want, need, or must avoid something. It is often used in phrases like desperately want or desperately need to show more than just very strong interest. The word adds a sense of pressure, emotion, and no easy choice. It often suggests that the situation feels personal and serious, not just important.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
まず desperate を核で覚える。これは hopeful の反対側で、追い詰められて「もう後がない」感じ。desperate need, desperate situation, be desperate for ... を見たら、不足や危機が背景にあると考えると意味が取りやすい。desperately はその副詞形で、desperately want / try / search のように動詞を強める。単なる very や hard ではなく、強い感情と切迫感を伴うのが特徴。eagerly は前向き、urgently は事務的な緊急さだが、desperately はもっと個人的で追い詰められた響き。
Start with desperate as the core idea. It describes a person or situation that feels pushed to the limit, with no good way out. Then desperately is the adverb form, so it strengthens verbs like want, need, try, or search with strong emotion and pressure. Compared with eagerly or urgently, desperately sounds more personal, stressed, and trapped.
例文
I desperately need a few hours of sleep before tomorrow's exam.
明日の試験の前に、どうしても数時間は眠る必要がある。
She desperately wanted to believe that everything would be fine.
彼女はすべてうまくいくと、どうしても信じたかった。
The hikers desperately searched for a way back before it got dark.
暗くなる前に戻る道を、ハイカーたちはどうしても見つけようとした。
絶望的に
(意味 3)解説 Definition
希望がほとんどなく、状況や気持ちが非常に悪い状態であることを表す副詞です。人の感情、病状、貧しさ、孤独などに使われ、単に強い程度ではなく「救いがない」感じを伴います。
Desperately is an adverb used when a person or situation is in a very bad state with almost no hope. It often describes strong negative conditions such as deep sadness, serious illness, extreme poverty, or painful loneliness. It does not only mean "very"; it usually adds a feeling that the situation is severe, emotional, and hard to escape from.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
desperately は desperate「絶望的な、追い詰められた」に -ly が付いた副詞。desperately unhappy, desperately poor, desperately ill のように、感情や状態が希望のないほど悪い時に使う。このエントリでは「必死に努力する」動作ではなく、状況そのものが暗く救いに乏しい感じに注目する。hopelessly に近いが、より感情的な響きが出ることが多い。
Desperately is the adverb form of desperate. Think of phrases like desperately unhappy, desperately poor, or desperately ill, where the condition feels so bad that there is almost no hope. In this entry, focus on the dark, hopeless state itself, not on the different meaning of desperately when someone is trying very hard. It is close to hopelessly, but it often sounds more emotional.
例文
After losing his family, he felt desperately alone.
家族を失って、彼は絶望的なほど孤独を感じていた。
The village remained desperately poor even after the factory opened.
工場ができたあとも、その村は絶望的に貧しいままだった。
By the end of the winter, she was desperately ill and could barely get out of bed.
冬の終わりには、彼女は絶望的に病状が悪く、ほとんどベッドから起き上がれなかった。
desperately の語源・成り立ち Etymology
ラテン語 desperare（望みを失う）が語源。de-（離れて）＋ sperare（希望する）で「希望から離れる＝絶望する」の意。desperate に副詞語尾 -ly が付いた形。関連語: despair（絶望）、prosper（pro-前に＋sperare＝希望通りに進む＝繁栄する）。
Desperately comes from desperate plus the adverb ending -ly. Desperate goes back through Latin to desperare, meaning "to lose hope," from de- "away" and sperare "to hope." The idea developed from being without hope to acting in a way that shows extreme need or despair. Related English words include despair and prosper, which also comes from the same Latin root for hope.
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