high-pressure

English

Adjective

high-pressure (not comparable)

1. Operating at relatively high pressure, such as several times atmospheric pressure.
2. (idiomatic) Tense; stressful.

   High-pressure situations can lead to nervous breakdowns.

3. Involving much persuasion.
   • 1961 February, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Trains Illustrated, page 85:

     High-pressure salesmanship on the part of the Electro-Motive subsidiary of the General Motors Corporation, which has built by far the largest proportion of the American diesels to date, there certainly has been - to such an extent, indeed, as to compel the old-established builders of steam locomotives, such as Baldwins, the American Locomotive Company and the Lima Locomotive Company, either to follow suit or go out of the locomotive building business altogether - [...].

Antonyms

• low-pressure

Verb

high-pressure (third-person singular simple present high-pressures, present participle high-pressuring, simple past and past participle high-pressured)

1. (informal, idiomatic, transitive) To coerce someone to perform or carry out an action by applying a high degree of psychological pressure.

Translations

operating with high pressures

• Czech: vysokotlaký
• Georgian: მაღალი წნევის (maɣali c̣nevis), მაღალწნევიანი (maɣalc̣neviani)

References

• “high-pressure”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.