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
With the family’s wealth, whiteness and lack of regard for others, many viewers might find themselves hard-pressed to sympathize, much less identify, with the Sinclars.
—
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 18 June 2025
With the aprons threatening, the Magic front office will be hard-pressed to maintain its roster depth for the long term.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 16 June 2025
After all that, the B’s would be hard-pressed to sign more than one impact free agent and maybe another complimentary player.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 13 June 2025
Anyone would be hard-pressed to argue that those increases by Democratic officeholders have produced breakthroughs on the state’s most-pressing issues.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-pressed
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 18 June 2025
With the aprons threatening, the Magic front office will be hard-pressed to maintain its roster depth for the long term.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 16 June 2025
After all that, the B’s would be hard-pressed to sign more than one impact free agent and maybe another complimentary player.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 13 June 2025
Anyone would be hard-pressed to argue that those increases by Democratic officeholders have produced breakthroughs on the state’s most-pressing issues.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-pressed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-pressed
Adjective
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Veteran Harold Gould earns laughs as the often perplexed grandfather.—
Kirk Honeycutt,
HollywoodReporter,
12 July 2025
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Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images Clarkson hinted at not liking three drivers on the grid, which left Brundle quite perplexed and didn't press the reality TV star on who those drivers were.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 July 2025
Adjective
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What baffled doctors, however, was that the bone was not lodged in her throat but buried in the muscle tissue of her neck.—
Joe Cermele,
Outdoor Life,
3 July 2025
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Fans, of course, remain baffled and angry and depressed over the lack of any visible progress on Martin’s sixth A Song Of Ice And Fire novel, The Winds Of Winter.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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This run – and the exhausted, bewildered looks on the players’ faces throughout it – has no doubt shaped Inter’s odds to win away to Barcelona, which look pretty close to long shot territory.—
Sam Tighe,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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In the two years since Tommy Elliott was killed in a mass shooting, Maryanne’s grief has, in turns, left her aghast and overwhelmed, bewildered and incapacitated, grateful and wanting to die.—
Kristina Goetz,
USA Today,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Acknowledging and even flaunting your skilled use of AI is actually a career booster, not something to be embarrassed about.—
William Arruda,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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Bill and Hillary [the Clintons] are going to be very embarrassed.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-pressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-pressed. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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