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

Addressing Workforce Challenges And Burnout Perhaps one of the most pressing issues facing healthcare leaders is the ongoing workforce shortage, particularly in nursing and other essential care roles. —Jacob Kupietzky, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

Economy There was no shortage of imagination this year in workforce development strategies, with the labor shortage perhaps being the most pressing issue facing Pennsylvania’s aging population, impacting every facet of life. —Christina Lengyel | The Center Square Contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 23 Dec. 2024

This may initially seem to make a discrepancy in rates of the Hubble constant a less pressing issue. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 18 Dec. 2024

In response, agency leaders decided to conduct a kind of triage and focus the IRS’ dwindling might on the most pressing and addressable problems. —Paul Kiel, ProPublica, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pressing

• flesh-pressing

Kids Definition

pressing

adjective

press·​ing ˈpres-iŋ 

: needing one's immediate attention

a pressing issue

pressingly

-iŋ-lē 

adverb