noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The quality or condition of being urgent. countable, uncountable

   "the urgency of a demand"

2. 2
   pressing importance requiring speedy action wordnet
3. 3
   Insistence, pressure, urge. countable, uncountable

   "I have this sudden urgency to use the toilet."

4. 4
   insistent solicitation and entreaty wordnet
5. 5
   A sudden and compelling need to urinate that is difficult to defer, associated with conditions such as urinary tract infections and overactive bladder. countable, uncountable

Show 2 more definitions

6. 6
   an urgent situation calling for prompt action wordnet
7. 7
   the state of being urgent; an earnest and insistent necessity wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

importunityantecedenceantecedencyantepositionanteriorityappetite

Example

More examples

"No problem demands more urgency than the human conditions of life."

Etymology

From urgent + -ency or Latin urgentia.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.