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

Ronan’s character, Maria, is a beleaguered primary school teacher whose life is tough enough without the relentless onslaught of bad behavior by young Danny (Eddie Waller, in his debut role). —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025

Jeremy Irvine plays the beleaguered, bereaved Henry. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025

That reasoning helped anchor the setting for The Paper inside the office of a newspaper with dwindling resources, a beleaguered staff, and a boss whose belief in the institution borders on the romantic. —Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Michael has faced numerous delays and controversy over the course of its beleaguered production. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of beleaguer

First Known Use

1644, in the meaning defined above