beleaguered

1 of 2

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

beleaguered

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of beleaguer

Examples of beleaguered in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Of course its all about a murder she is accused of, one of her ex-husbands, and the timing couldn’t be worse for her beleaguered record company Megamax, now run by her first hubby and manager Barry Vogel (Alan Tudyk). — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026

More than 1,500 potential voters signed up for a meeting of the Los Angeles Continuum of Care board to pick a replacement for the core duties of the beleaguered Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026

In a video released by the James Talarico campaign, Willie Nelson formally endorsed the Democratic candidate running against beleaguered Republican Ken Paxton. — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2026

The beleaguered aircraft carrier with about 7,500 personnel is scheduled to dock Thursday in San Diego, amid sharp criticism over its prolonged deployment in the Middle East. — Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of beleaguer

First Known Use

Adjective

1644, in the meaning defined above