hard-pressed

adjective

ˈhärd-ˈprest 

: hard put

They were hard-pressed to prove any of their claims.

also : being under financial strain

a financially hard-pressed school system

Synonyms of hard-pressed

• perplexed
• baffled
• bewildered
• embarrassed

Examples of hard-pressed in a Sentence

they will be hard-pressed to come up with any facts that actually support their argument

Recent Examples on the Web

The fact that most non-Natives, and many Natives as well, would be hard-pressed to put together a list of Native American foods—that’s colonization in action. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

American consumers are hard-pressed to remember a time when inflation wasn’t on their minds. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 19 July 2026

That speaks to a locker room issue that Yzerman, from up top, would be hard-pressed to solve. — Max Bultman, New York Times, 17 July 2026

Dominant streaming platform Netflix reports earnings after the bell on Thursday, and analysts are sounding hard-pressed to find a meaningful driver for the stock. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 15 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hard-pressed

• acquiesced
• coalesced
• dispossessed
• manifest
• overdressed
• overstressed
• prepossessed
• reassessed
• reinvest
• repossessed
• unaddressed
• uncompressed