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

Halting the pressurized flow in mature reservoirs disrupts a delicate subterranean system, allowing water to flood the wellbore and heavy sediments to clog rock pores.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

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

In the pitch black of the mine, mud-splattered men with headlamps drill into the rock in two-man teams, using hydro drills with long, thin nozzles that shoot out pressurized water to loosen the ore.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 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

Perplexed, Hunt decided to put him inside the pressurized Gamow Bag, which was set up in a lodge adjacent to the HRA clinic.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer