pressing

adjective

press·​ing ˈpre-siŋ 

1

: urgently important : critical

a pressing issue

2

: earnest, warm

pressingly

ˈpre-siŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• acute
• burning
• clamant
• compelling
• critical
• crying
• dire
• emergent
• exigent
• imperative
• imperious
• importunate
• instant
• necessitous
• urgent

Examples of pressing in a Sentence

a pressing need for reform

she had pressing business on the other side of town

Recent Examples on the Web

Asking which benefits directly address your employees' most pressing needs prioritizes impact over volume. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Whether Villa can do it all within a PSR timeframe is the more pressing matter. —Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

But that event, set for Nov. 10, was canceled after defense officials quoted the price tag at $92 million and were slow to plan it, citing more pressing issues. —Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 7 Apr. 2025

While Turner is visiting the Dolphins, there are no current plans for Texas A&M edge player Shemar Stewart, a local prep standout, to visit Miami because some expect him to be gone by No. 13 and because Miami has more pressing needs than an edge player. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pressing

• flesh-pressing

Rhymes for pressing

• blessing
• dressing
• guessing
• messing
• stressing
• accessing
• addressing
• assessing
• caressing
• compressing
• confessing
• depressing

Kids Definition

pressing

adjective

press·​ing ˈpres-iŋ 

: needing one's immediate attention

a pressing issue

pressingly

-iŋ-lē 

adverb