beleaguered

adjective

be·​lea·​guered bi-ˈlē-gərd 

bē-

: suffering or being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment

an economically beleaguered city

With its life-support system cut off, the beleaguered college has embarked on a tortuous campaign to keep going.

—Lucinda Harper

… as he evolved from conformist to opportunist to reformer to revolutionary to beleaguered leader.

—Philip Taubman

Examples of beleaguered in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Calls for independent review Monday’s open letter is just the latest shot fired at the beleaguered governing body. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026

Lee, 43, knows precisely how the beleaguered parents feel, as the mother of two sons, Apollo, 9, and Raphael, 6, with her actor-writer husband Russ Armstrong. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

Demanding strategic concessions from a beleaguered ally can feel like a betrayal. — Dafna H. Rand, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026

Allies and advisers have also jumped ship, unable to retain support in FIFA’s beleaguered leader. — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of beleaguer

First Known Use

1644, in the meaning defined above