pressing

adjective

press·​ing ˈpre-siŋ 

1

: urgently important : critical

a pressing issue

2

: earnest, warm

pressingly

ˈpre-siŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of pressing

• urgent
• acute

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

These concerns are likely to become more pressing as the technology behind synthetic biology continues to develop, particularly as emerging tools such as artificial intelligence accelerate the design of new biological systems. —André O. Hudson, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026

At our Yale Higher Education Summit in January, 100 college and university presidents gathered to discuss the most pressing issues demanding their attention. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026

Nearly a third of Americans, meanwhile, pointed to the high cost of living overall as their most pressing financial concern — suggesting affordability remains a top voting issue. —Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026

That mission has grown more pressing since 2016, when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. —New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026

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