as in perplexed
faced with difficulty or uncertainty about what to say, think, or do
they will be hard-pressed to come up with any facts that actually support their argument
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Examples of hard-pressed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And while there are plenty of grays that can fit that temperature bill, there’s also a sense of self-expression that millennial gray would be hard-pressed to achieve.
—
Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Aug. 2024
Had the Pac-12 remained intact, Cal and Stanford would be hard-pressed to compete in the emerging environment.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2024
No families could sit in the stands during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic, and recent sites including Beijing and PyeongChang meant American audiences were hard-pressed to watch live competitions taking place during offbeat viewing hours.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 July 2024
But most of the candidates, as reported by Politico, would be hard-pressed to make it past Harris if Biden steps down or is replaced.
—Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for hard-pressed 
Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Aug. 2024
Had the Pac-12 remained intact, Cal and Stanford would be hard-pressed to compete in the emerging environment.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2024
No families could sit in the stands during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic, and recent sites including Beijing and PyeongChang meant American audiences were hard-pressed to watch live competitions taking place during offbeat viewing hours.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 July 2024
But most of the candidates, as reported by Politico, would be hard-pressed to make it past Harris if Biden steps down or is replaced.
—Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for hard-pressed
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hard-pressed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Hard-pressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-pressed. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
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