urgency
/ˈɜːdʒənsi/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɜːrdʒənsi/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈər-jən(t)-sē/ (ame, mw)
urgency — noun
1. the fact that a problem or task matters so much that people have to act on it ri
the fact that a problem or task matters so much that people have to act on it right away rather than wait.
After the second tremor, Ramón understood the urgency of leading his grandmother out of the building.
the urgency of + gerund clause
Nurse Lien spoke with quiet urgency while paging the on-call surgeon at midnight.
with + adjective + urgency, adverbial of manner
There is no urgency to send a reply tonight; tomorrow morning is perfectly fine.
Rising sea levels have given the climate talks in Lisbon a new sense of urgency.
Élise flagged the contract as a matter of urgency so the legal team would read it first.
- pressure
wider — any forceful demand, not only time-based
- imperative
more formal; frames the matter as a strategic must-do
- exigency
formal/literary; stresses a critical demand created by circumstances
- immediacy
stresses the now-ness of something rather than its importance
- leisureliness
stresses an unhurried pace — opposite atmosphere
- complacency
implies failure to notice that something needs attention
文法句型
a sense of urgency
a matter of urgency
用法筆記
Almost always uncountable. Subjects are typically situations, events, or shared feelings rather than individual people. The most common frames are 'a sense of urgency' and 'a matter of urgency' — both function as set phrases.
常見錯誤
2. an earnest, repeated way of asking or pushing for something, where the speaker k
an earnest, repeated way of asking or pushing for something, where the speaker keeps going until they get a result.
Rania kept phoning the embassy with an urgency that surprised even her own brothers.
with + an urgency that-clause, relative-clause modifier
The urgency of Sahil's pleas finally convinced the committee to reopen the murder case.
the urgency of someone's pleas / requests
Nala pressed for an answer with such urgency that the manager promised to call back within the hour.
There was an urgency in Christopher's voice that the volunteers at the shelter could not ignore.
- insistence
closest match — emphasises refusal to be put off
- earnestness
stresses sincerity more than persistence
- persistence
wider — any continued effort, not only verbal pressure
- diffidence
shy, hesitant manner — opposite of insistent pushing
文法句型
the urgency of [someone's] pleas
an urgency in [someone's] voice
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense focuses on a person's repeated, determined manner of asking, not on a situation's time-critical importance. Frequently appears with body-language or speech nouns such as 'voice', 'tone', 'gestures', 'pleas'.