1. (a.) Having or involving a pressure greatly exceeding that of the atmosphere; -- said of steam, air, water, etc., and of steam, air, or hydraulic engines, water wheels, etc.

2. (a.) Fig.: Urgent; intense; as, a high-pressure business or social life.

Machiavellian Machiavellic absorbing acanthoid acanthous accurate acicular acrid active acuate aculeate aculeiform acuminate afflictive aggravated aggressive agonizing alert animated apperceptive appercipient arch argute artful astute atrocious aware barbed biting brisk cagey canny clamorous clever climacteric cogent compelling cornuted crafty cramping creaky critical crucial cruel crying cunning cusped cuspidate cute cutting dangerous deceitful deep deep-felt deep-laid deepgoing designing desperate diplomatic dire discerning discriminating distressing double-edged drastic dynamic ear-piercing edged energetic enterprising enthusiastic excessive excruciating exigent exorbitant exquisite extravagant extreme farseeing farsighted featheredged feline fierce fine forceful forcible foreseeing foresighted forethoughted forethoughtful foxy full of pep furious gnawing go-go grave great griping guileful hard harrowing harsh hazardous heartfelt hearty high high-pressure high-priority hispid homefelt horned horny howling hurtful hurting immoderate imperative imperious impetuous incisive indelible ingenious insidious insightful insistent instant intelligent intemperate intense intensified inventive keen keen-edged keening kinetic knifelike knowing lively living longheaded longsighted lusty menacing meticulous mettlesome mucronate narrow needle-pointed needle-sharp observant outrageous painful paroxysmal pawky peaked peaky penetrating peppy perceptive percipient perilous perspicacious perspicuous pervading piercing piping pivotal poignant pointed politic precarious precise pressing prickly probing profound pronged provident pungent quick-witted racking razor-edged ready reedy resourceful rigorous robust rough sagacious scheming screaky screeching screechy sensitive serious serpentine set severe shall sharp sharp-pointed sharp-sighted sharp-witted shifty shooting shrewd shrieking shrieky shrill slick slippery sly smacking smooth snaky snappy sneaky sophistical spanking spasmatic spasmic spasmodic spiculate spiked spiky spined spinous spiny spirited splitting squeaking squeaky stabbing stealthy stinging strategic strenuous strong subtile subtle sudden supple tactical take-charge take-over tapered tapering thin threatening tined tinny toothed tormenting torturous