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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Recent Examples of hard-pressed
An adult earning barely $30,000 a year behind a fast-food counter will be hard-pressed to support a family, Holder said.
—
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
If Washington State, Oregon State, Fresno State and Texas State continue to wallow, the Pac-12 will be hard-pressed to match, much less overtake, the Big East.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Even the least superstitious among us would be hard-pressed to deny that an abnormal amount of terrible things have happened to the Kennedy family.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
At those prices, European automakers are hard-pressed to compete, even with tariffs on EVs set as high as 35%.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hard-pressed
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
If Washington State, Oregon State, Fresno State and Texas State continue to wallow, the Pac-12 will be hard-pressed to match, much less overtake, the Big East.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Even the least superstitious among us would be hard-pressed to deny that an abnormal amount of terrible things have happened to the Kennedy family.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
At those prices, European automakers are hard-pressed to compete, even with tariffs on EVs set as high as 35%.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hard-pressed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-pressed
Adjective
-
At some point my English editor was completely perplexed.—
Joy Williams,
The Dial,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Last Sunday, the broadcast showed a perplexed, annoyed Wells who thought his team went missing.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But some children—Hazel, Evan, and, of course, Jude—baffled Lilian.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Emotional rollercoasters for baffled European allies.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The tragedy at first bewildered law enforcement in both states, as investigators were unsure why Miller traveled to Utah or why the three women were killed.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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Olivier tried successfully to get the reader to understand how a gentle, pacific young man could come to kill more than a thousand people, and so capturing the tone and empathetic portrayal not only of Simo Häyhä and his colleagues but also of the often-bewildered Russian soldiers was essential.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
No doubt some were downright embarrassed.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
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After being embarrassed 3-0 by LAFC in the season opener, Inter Miami has bounced back strongly, and accepted an invitation to visit the White House, which was still scheduled to take place on Thursday.—
Andre Fernandez,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hard-pressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-pressed. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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