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
Drinkers may be hard-pressed to find better cider than those made locally.
—
Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 24 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hard-pressed
Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 24 June 2025
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
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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And finally, a baffled daughter-in-law shared that her mother-in-law took it upon herself to write directly on their back door—with a green pen.—
Cameron Schoppa
Alex Backus,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
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But its favorite mood, by far, is one of mild titillation, which arises whenever something slightly out of the ordinary occurs—a ball flies into the crowd, a baffled bird pecks at the service line, a champagne cork enters the field of play—and a burr of chatter rips round the court.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
12 July 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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Experts urge people not to ignore or feel embarrassed about digestive symptoms.—
Sarah Garone,
Health,
30 July 2025
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My family is embarrassed by my fashion sense, or lack thereof.—
Kimberly Zapata,
Parents,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-pressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-pressed. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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