PRESSURES Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

pressures 1 of 2

noun

plural of pressure

as in stresses

the burden on one's emotional or mental well-being created by demands on one's time a business executive who works well under pressure

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as in constraints

the use of power to impose one's will on another pressure from their peers can often cause teens to do things that they normally wouldn't consider

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pressures

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pressure

as in forces

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure his father pressured him to go out for the swim team

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pressures

Noun

The bank still calls Nvidia the sector’s best risk-reward opportunity but warns that financing pressures, power shortages, and concentrated customers could threaten the buildout. — Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 The proposals come as local governments face rising costs, budget pressures and cuts to federal safety net programs. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026 When DeSantis took office and began assembling his team, Florida faced the same cultural pressures as the rest of the country. — Kimberly Bird, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026 But right behind him was right tackle Matt McCoy, who allowed five pressures. — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026 Cuban Americans play games of dominos here to escape the pressures of daily life. — Claudia Grisales, NPR, 18 Oct. 2026 Why seniors are 'doing pretty well' watch now This isn't to say that older Americans — generally, those age 65 and older — aren't feeling any financial pressures. — Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 International students have also faced pressures, as the government restricts visa programs and increases costs significantly for others. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, oil prices jumped Friday and Brent crude touched $110 per barrel for the first time since May, exacerbating concerns about inflationary pressures that could push the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates further. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026

Verb

When Andrew Dismukes’ character repeatedly pressures his dad to try the titular dish, Gillis steps in to put an end to the interrogation. — Anna Tingley, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026 The feature is designed to help with active social engineering scams, where someone pressures or guides you into doing something yourself. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 That pressures the economy because higher yields make borrowing money more expensive for everyone, while also undercutting prices for stocks and other investments. — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 High inflation also pressures the Fed to reduce the money supply by increasing interest rates, making cheap credit harder to get. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026 But when her father pressures her into an unwanted engagement, her resolve is tested. — Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026 The scrutiny raised questions about what could happen to his Carvana position if fallout from the investigation pressures him to raise cash. — Yun Li, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026 When The Park pressures him to turn against Lamb and his colleagues to pin MI5’s failure on Slough House, Struan ultimately caves. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026 The government has offered cash incentives to those willing to leave and pressures others to give up legal efforts by holding them in detention. — Cindy Carcamo, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pressures

Noun

But modern day stresses are replaced with real life stresses for the tribe, like finding water, staying warm, and protecting the herd—the family’s currency—from jackals and wild dogs.

— Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026
That’s a point De Los Angeles’ doctor at Sylvester stresses, too.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of stresses

Noun

Worries have coalesced around whether public opposition or supply chain constraints will limit the buildout, and if revenues will keep up with Big Tech’s breakneck infrastructure spending.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Backers of electric WIGs view them as a more-practical alternative to eVTOLs, or electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, which face major adoption barriers due to operational constraints and regulatory challenges.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of constraints

Verb

Some voting laws have changed in Ohio since 2022, including the state eliminating its grace period for receiving mail ballots, a change that forces voters to return those ballots earlier.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
This book forces us to consider how clothing can communicate identity without the body, or gestures, or the visage, but rather through arrangement and spatial orientation.

— Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of forces

Noun

Officers used tear gas as tensions flared sporadically in the neighborhood, with small groups of people trying to set bicycles and trash bins on fire.

— SYLVIE CORBET, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
With tensions rising between Israel’s far-right ministers and Hamas, the arrangement had run its course, Qatar believed.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of tensions

Noun

The real question is whether Pennsylvania and cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia want skill games and other gambling opportunities to be widespread and unavoidable for people who struggle with compulsions to gamble.

— Jonathan Caulkins, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
But per the Black List, the story follows an antisocial man suffering from obsessive compulsions who is haunted by the death of his hoarder mother.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of compulsions

Verb

Not the kind of empathy that simply allows someone to understand another person’s struggles, but the kind that compels them to do something about it.

— Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Here, Hendrikx plays anthropologist to a culture that compels each of us—whether a rider or not—to find our own vehicle for fulfillment, then take it to redline.

— Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of compels

Noun

Those fiscal strains come as political volatility and social unrest raise doubts about the government’s ability to deliver measures aimed at stabilizing the public finances.

— Jenni Reid,Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
The first focuses on improving protein yields by optimizing gene sequences, introducing them into Spiber’s proprietary microbial strains and evaluating their performance.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of strains

Verb

However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Dec. 2025
Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025