as in perplexed
faced with difficulty or uncertainty about what to say, think, or do
she was hard put to explain her department's excessive expenditures
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Recent Examples of hard put
Many Americans, while understanding that Washington was essential to the success of the revolution in his role as commanding general, would be hard put to explain why he is so highly ranked as president.
—
Sara Georgini, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Aug. 2024
From Brazil to Germany, companies are hard put to crew up, such is the demand by series and movies.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 10 May 2023
But with an evenly split Senate, and Democrats hard put to get to the 60-vote threshold needed to prevent Republicans from blocking their bills, Ms. Sinema – together with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia – has come under particular fire for her refusal to scrap the filibuster.
—Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Aug. 2021
This item, which has more in common with a tabletop decoration than a functioning reticule, would be hard put to accommodate a hairbrush; a cellphone would dwarf it.
—Lynn Yaeger, Town & Country, 22 Jan. 2023
Japan itself, with a stagnant economy and the highest debt-to-GDP ratio in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, will be hard put to sustain the necessary military buildup.
—Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 28 Nov. 2022
But this is a tale of two women, and you’d be hard put to nominate one of them as the obvious heroine, or to say who is sweating under the greater stress.
—The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2022
One is hard put, though, to find anyone singling out Lincoln as a racist fiend either before his murder or for decades thereafter.
—Sean Wilentz, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2021
Without trade and movement between Iran and Iraq, however, Tehran will be hard put to get some of its non-oil industries fully functional again.
—Falih Hassan, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2020
Sara Georgini, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Aug. 2024
From Brazil to Germany, companies are hard put to crew up, such is the demand by series and movies.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 10 May 2023
But with an evenly split Senate, and Democrats hard put to get to the 60-vote threshold needed to prevent Republicans from blocking their bills, Ms. Sinema – together with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia – has come under particular fire for her refusal to scrap the filibuster.
—Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Aug. 2021
This item, which has more in common with a tabletop decoration than a functioning reticule, would be hard put to accommodate a hairbrush; a cellphone would dwarf it.
—Lynn Yaeger, Town & Country, 22 Jan. 2023
Japan itself, with a stagnant economy and the highest debt-to-GDP ratio in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, will be hard put to sustain the necessary military buildup.
—Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 28 Nov. 2022
But this is a tale of two women, and you’d be hard put to nominate one of them as the obvious heroine, or to say who is sweating under the greater stress.
—The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2022
One is hard put, though, to find anyone singling out Lincoln as a racist fiend either before his murder or for decades thereafter.
—Sean Wilentz, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2021
Without trade and movement between Iran and Iraq, however, Tehran will be hard put to get some of its non-oil industries fully functional again.
—Falih Hassan, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard put
Adjective
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Merriman was also among those who were left perplexed by the production’s quality.Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 18 Nov. 2024
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However, this is our third season interacting with Jacqueline in some capacity, and I am left more perplexed than ever about her function on this show and relationship with Mia.Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 27 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Censoring Ulysses In reviewing the UK Home Office files on James Joyce's Ulysses, a historian found baffled officials afraid to bring more attention to it.JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
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Perhaps this played better at home, but in the room, there was a baffled silence, barring pockets of laughter for the contributions from Stanley Tucci and Dame Judi Dench.Radhika Seth, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2024
Adjective
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The man who had been yelling at Kelce for the past few minutes, meanwhile, switched to an apologetic, complimentary demeanor, and appeared to be embarrassed by his actions.Bailey Richards, People.com, 23 Nov. 2024
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The main barriers for help-seeking include being too embarrassed, shy or fearful of judgment.Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 14 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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In May, police officers in the town of Lufkin, Texas responded to a bewildered call about a pair of kangaroos that were on the loose.Christine Rousselle, Fox News, 19 Oct. 2024
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Countless volunteers are the proud owners of pink foam fingers, acting as traffic conductors for bewildered spectators.Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near hard put
Cite this Entry
“Hard put.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard%20put. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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