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

Haiti’s new Gang Suppression Force appears poised to meet its ambitious target of 5,500 troops, after a number of nations, including Chad and Bangladesh, offered to deploy soldiers, engineers and police officers to help the country’s beleaguered security forces combat armed gangs. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Dec. 2025

Can the Texans slay this beleaguered AFC beast? —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025

That was a welcome respite to beleaguered communities across the Southeast still recovering from earlier hurricanes. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025

Whatever happened between Sutter and Netflix, plenty of beleaguered sets have produced worthwhile end results. —Alison Herman, Variety, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of beleaguer

First Known Use

1644, in the meaning defined above