pressing

1 of 2

adjective

press·​ing ˈpre-siŋ 

1

: urgently important : critical

a pressing issue

2

: earnest, warm

pressingly

ˈpre-siŋ-lē 

adverb

pressing

2 of 2

present participle of press entry 2, press entry 3

Synonyms of pressing

Adjective

• urgent
• acute

Examples of pressing in a Sentence

Adjective

a pressing need for reform

she had pressing business on the other side of town

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

For Moscow, the most pressing question is how to manage fuel shortages. — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026

And of course, the most pressing question of all … how will Terri Schuester factor in? — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

The challenge becomes even more pressing in applications such as space exploration, where satellites may require relatively long antennas that must be folded for launch and deployed once in orbit. — New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026

Water usage For residents of Arilova, the most pressing questions are about water. — Aakash Hassan, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pressing

• flesh-pressing

Rhymes for pressing

• blessing
• dressing
• guessing
• messing
• stressing
• accessing
• addressing
• assessing
• caressing
• compressing
• confessing
• depressing

Kids Definition

pressing

adjective

press·​ing ˈpres-iŋ 

: needing one's immediate attention

a pressing issue

pressingly

-iŋ-lē 

adverb