Pressuring

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To apply coercive influence or force upon an individual or entity to induce a specific response or decision, creating a sense of obligation or urgency to act in a certain manner
2. To impose persistent stress or influence on a person or group to elicit a desired action or change, often causing a feeling of compulsion to comply or respond quickly
3. The act of applying force or influence to make someone take a particular action or decision

Etymology: "Pressuring" is simply the present participle and gerund of "pressure," so its history is the history of the verb it comes from. That verb descends from Latin "premere," meaning "to press," which gave Latin the noun "pressura," a pressing or squeezing. English took the noun "pressure" from that Latin base, and the verb sense of exerting force on someone to make them act developed from the physical idea of pushing down on an object. The shift from the concrete to the social is the notable step. A word that began as the measurable force of one thing bearing on another came to describe the force one person brings to bear on another's choices. The physical picture of weight pressing down is still present when someone is said to be "under pressure" or when a person is "pressuring" a friend to decide.

Synonyms: coercing, forcing, compelling, urging, insisting

Antonyms: releasing, liberating, relaxing, easing, dissuading