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
Any honest Marylander would be hard-pressed to describe Hogan as being anything other than fiscally prudent.
—
Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2025
Add in current state restrictions, city officials said, and San Jose will be hard-pressed to recover all its costs.
—Devan Patel, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2025
Yet while the Dodgers won’t be a problem unless the Red Sox actually make the Fall Classic, the other American League contenders have improved as well, with the AL East in particular remaining a minefield the club will be hard-pressed to navigate.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 2 Feb. 2025
Even users going through the most severe TikTok withdrawal would be hard-pressed to buy a used phone for the price of a 2025 Toyota Prius.
—Hank Sanders, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-pressed
Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2025
Add in current state restrictions, city officials said, and San Jose will be hard-pressed to recover all its costs.
—Devan Patel, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2025
Yet while the Dodgers won’t be a problem unless the Red Sox actually make the Fall Classic, the other American League contenders have improved as well, with the AL East in particular remaining a minefield the club will be hard-pressed to navigate.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 2 Feb. 2025
Even users going through the most severe TikTok withdrawal would be hard-pressed to buy a used phone for the price of a 2025 Toyota Prius.
—Hank Sanders, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-pressed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-pressed
Adjective
-
This situation caused the Reddit user to become perplexed.—
Erica Lamberg,
Fox News,
13 Feb. 2025
-
The audacious broad-daylight carjacking and grisly murder in Central Florida last spring perplexed law enforcement officials for months.—
Martin E. Comas,
Orlando Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Now, a development that once baffled educators and administrators is ready to go mainstream.—
Lexi Lonas Cochran,
The Hill,
31 Dec. 2024
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Other stories explore similar themes in equally bizarre situations: In 1880s London, a very suave Joseph Merrick, aka The Elephant Man, flirts shamelessly with the smitten wife of his very baffled doctor (Goldsberry and Kind, respectively).—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Hubbard’s bewildered eyes locked on Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles community reshaped by flames.—
Bryce Miller,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Feb. 2025
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Anyone else is likely to emerge unharmed, if a little bewildered that these good-looking but skin-deep figures merited feature treatment.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Your fame sits beside you like an incubus, and people are embarrassed and want to leave the room.—
Candace Bushnell,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2025
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She’s come a long way from the teen who was embarrassed to wear a stocking on her head, Campion says.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-pressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-pressed. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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