Street voices
Janna
·
United States
Just recorded
"Pressed is being annoyed, mad, or, you know, bothered at something. An example would be, Man, it's just a joke. Why are you so pressed?"
What it means
Means upset or worked up over something that probably is not worth the energy. When your friend is pressed it is because she saw her ex tagged in a holiday photo, or because someone took the parking spot she was eyeing. Carries a hint of teasing, like you are pointing out that the reaction outsizes the cause.
Usage examples
"She has been pressed all morning because she got left on read by some guy she met once at a wedding, and now the whole brunch table is rolling its eyes."
"Do not get pressed about the playlist, we can just queue your songs next, the night is long and the bluetooth does not care who is mad."
Where it comes from
Comes out of Black American slang where pressed has long carried the idea of being squeezed by your own feelings. It crossed into mainstream Gen Z talk through Twitter in the mid 2010s, and now any time someone takes a small slight too hard, the comments will tell them they look pressed.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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