Synonyms of pushing

pushing 1 of 2

adjective

ˈpu̇-shiŋ 

1

as in ambitious

having a strong desire for personal advancement

among the young associates at the law firm, he was unmistakably the most pushing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ambitious
• aspiring
• driving
• hard-driving
• hustling
• energetic
• eager
• motivated
• dynamic
• go-getting
• diligent
• determined
• ardent
• hungry
• aggressive
• self-seeking
• enterprising
• competing
• lively
• venturesome
• industrious
• spirited
• competitive
• impassioned
• animated
• avid
• vigorous
• scrappy
• pushy
• rival
• gung ho
• assertive
• venturous
• opportunistic
• raring
• keen
• pretentious
• high-flying
• overambitious
• self-assertive
• rivalrous

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• indifferent
• uninterested
• disinterested
• unambitious
• apathetic
• casual
• lackadaisical
• unexcited
• unenthusiastic
• easygoing
• lukewarm
• tepid
• lazy
• sluggish
• halfhearted
• uneager
• ambitionless
• lethargic
• listless
• shiftless
• lazyish
• spiritless
• unaggressive
• unassertive

2

as in busy

thrusting oneself where one is not welcome or invited

the sort of sycophantic, pushing man on the make that everyone loves to hate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• busy
• intruding
• prying
• interfering
• meddling
• pushy
• annoying
• intrusive
• officious
• meddlesome
• obtrusive
• presuming
• protrusive
• invading
• nosy
• rude
• snoopy
• presumptuous
• trespassing
• brazen
• curious
• impudent
• bumptious
• insolent
• harassing
• inquisitive
• bold
• impertinent
• overbearing
• pestiferous
• superserviceable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unobtrusive
• withdrawn
• silent
• retiring
• quiet
• reserved
• uninvolved
• restrained
• inhibited
• reticent
• hands-off
• reclusive
• subdued
• taciturn

pushing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of push

1

as in shoving

to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one

I had to push my damaged bike all the way home

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shoving
• driving
• thrusting
• propelling
• moving
• squeezing
• forcing
• jamming
• pressuring
• compressing
• bearing (down)
• weighing (upon)
• impelling
• squashing
• compelling
• depressing
• leaning (on or against)
• ramming
• muscling
• bulldozing

2

as in squeezing

to force one's way

we had to push our way through a crowd that was mostly headed in the opposite direction

Synonyms & Similar Words

• squeezing
• shoving
• pressing
• jamming
• crashing
• jostling
• elbowing
• bulldozing
• shouldering
• thrusting
• muscling
• boring
• bulling
• ramming

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pushing

Adjective

The weight limit was a necessary move to equalize race conditions and curb the use of athletic specialists who, although not bobsledders, have in the past proven decisive in their teams’ success through the pushing phase. — Alessio Caprodossi, Wired News, 15 Feb. 2026

Musk plunged into a controversy of his own making after tweeting and deleting a post pushing baseless allegations about the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. — Hamza Shaban, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2022

Verb

For the first time, Fed officials described the demand generated by AI infrastructure buildouts as something that could continue to drive up prices for tech products and electricity—thereby pushing up inflation. — CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Canada has responded with its own retaliatory tariffs and pledged an aid package for affected companies, with Prime Minister Mark Carney commanding public support for the economic pain that will result from pushing back. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Those restrictions are similar to what California legislators have spent years pushing for. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Meanwhile, instead of doubling down on pushing the frontiers of space science, NASA has pushed hard to gut the agency’s science budget for several years now. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 26 Aug. 2026

The intense interest in the case is one reason why her lawyers are pushing for a retrial – the town was so crowded that at one stage jury members shared a hotel with the prosecution team and an informant. — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

But last month, the president took an unprecedented step toward pushing that feud into the real world. — Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026

The story of how Chicago beat the odds to become a hub of quarterback development isn’t necessarily a perfect storm, more like a steady rain that’s been pushing forward for 15 or 20 years. — Mike McGraw, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026

The unit also dabbled in artificial intelligence, which Hegseth has been pushing, and designing drones resistant to jamming. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026