noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
on the ropes; losing ground; under pressure
Describes a situation where someone is being pushed back, overwhelmed, or struggling against an opponent or difficulty. Often used in sports, competition, or arguments.
We were on the ropes the whole match, but we turned it around at the end.
I was losing ground in the debate and couldn't easily counter.
The base verb meaning 'to push'; 押され気味 is the passive form combined with 気味, indicating a state of being pushed.
A suffix meaning 'tendency' or 'slightly'; 押され気味 literally means 'tendency to be pushed'.
Standard kanji spelling; 押され (passive of 押す, 'push') + 気味 ('tendency').
Alternate kanji using 圧 ('pressure'); less common but attested.
Compound of the passive form of 押す (osu, 'push') + 気味 (gimi, 'tendency'). The alternate kanji 圧 is used for its meaning of 'pressure'.