hard-pressed

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hard-pressed

adjective more hard-pressed · most hard-pressed · hard pressed · hardpressed

idiomatic, usually, with to infinitive Barely able; having difficulty doing something. Although they are still available, I think we would be hard-pressed to find one on short notice.
Similar: hard pushed, hard put
idiomatic Experiencing financial difficulty or difficulty in surviving. The earthquake left the residents hard-pressed.
Similar: in dire straits

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MLA

"hard-pressed." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hard-pressed. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

hard-pressed. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hard-pressed

Chicago

"hard-pressed." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hard-pressed.

BibTeX

@misc{hard_pressed_2026,
  title = {hard-pressed},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hard-pressed},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}