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

The composition of Congress will help determine the next president’s ability to advance legislation and address the concerns voters have identified as most pressing. — Katie Angell Britannica Editors Oct. 2, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Oct. 2026

Polling continues to show that housing affordability ranks among the most pressing concerns for Americans nationwide. — Matt Galka, Baltimore Sun, 28 Sep. 2026

That included some residents choosing to pay other, more pressing bills instead of renewing their home insurance — something that’s important but that people don’t always anticipate needing, Richardson said. — Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2026

Yet little progress was made on the most pressing issues, including AI regulation, China’s opposition to American support for Taiwan, or Beijing’s reported support for Iran. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 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