pressurized

American  

[presh-uh-rahyzd] / ˈprɛʃ əˌraɪzd /

adjective

1. brought to and maintained at an atmospheric pressure higher than that of the surroundings.

   cooking with pressurized steam.

2. maintained at an air pressure comfortable for breathing.

   a pressurized cabin and cockpit; a pressurized suit for diving.

3. Informal. subject or subjected to undue pressure or harassment.

   the pressurized milieu of big business.

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Other Word Forms

• unpressurized adjective

Etymology

Origin of pressurized

First recorded in 1935–40; pressurize + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Tehran then turned to Russia, which took over the contract in January 1995, aiming to commission the 1,000-megawatt pressurized water reactor in 1999.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

This is also what makes them so pressurized and painful when they go awry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Held once every four years, often in finicky environments, pressurized with all that hype, they’re less a measure of consistency than they are of momentary mettle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

Oklo’s liquid sodium-cooled fast reactors use sodium as a heat transfer liquid and coolant, which allows them to operate at high temperatures without being pressurized, unlike conventional reactors.

From Barron's • Oct. 9, 2025

The regulator has to be in the pressurized area and it's too big to fit in the unmodified rover.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir