stressful

[ stres-fuhl ]

adjective

1. full of stress or tension:

   the stressful days before a war.

Other Words From

• stressful·ly adverb
• un·stressful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stressful¹

First recorded in 1850–55; stress + -ful

Example Sentences

Since it can be unethical to randomly assign humans to stressful conditions, the team tested the effects of varying “doses” of stress in squirrel monkeys that had not yet reached puberty.

From Science News

So her team invited 280 children into the lab to complete two stressful tasks.

From Science News For Students

It would not be ethical to randomly assign humans to experience such stressful conditions.

From Science News For Students

“My interest in RV travel increased during the pandemic, because I wanted to road-trip domestically and get into nature, but trying to map and plan out hotel stays—and sanitized hotels at that—was difficult and stressful,” she says.

From Outside Online

Isolating expectant mothers as though they had the virus created a stressful birth experience, a clinician noted.

From ProPublica

“I mean, my life is not that stressful,” Collins said, feeling better.

From The Daily Beast

There's so many different needs you have to meet, so you learn how it can be really stressful as well.

From The Daily Beast

Commercial airline pilot is consistently placed near the top of “Most Stressful Jobs” lists.

From The Daily Beast

Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets and noisy, stressful environments.

From The Daily Beast

Six months later, she went through the same stressful search for another shelter.

From The Daily Beast

Hewson might not have been in what he thought any stressful need of ghostly comfort or reassurance in matters of faith.

From Project Gutenberg

And all putting in and getting nothing out results in stressful times, in business ventures as in the case of individuals.

From Project Gutenberg

Another hour of this stressful tedium and they heard a sound of sharp significance.

From Project Gutenberg

Her eyes—they were the serene eyes of cool gray that take on slate-blue tints in stressful moments—met his defiantly.

From Project Gutenberg

Our eyes must not be fixed merely on this stressful present, but on the world as it will be ten years hence.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• agitated
• anxious
• apprehensive
• edgy
• excited
• jittery
• nervous
• restive
• shaky
• strained
• uneasy

More About Stressful

What does stressful mean?

Stressful means full of stress or causing stress. It’s typically used to describe situations or experiences, such as stressful meetings, stressful trips, or a stressful day.

In stressful, the word stress means mental or emotional strain or tension—that all-too-familiar feeling of anxiety, worry, and pressure. Things that are stressful cause people to feel stressed.

Example: Trying to study for my math test while also babysitting my three little brothers was incredibly stressful.

Where does stressful come from?

The first records of the word stressful come from the 1850s. The word stress is first recorded around 1300. The suffix -ful is used to create adjectives.

Things can be stressful for a lot of reasons. A situation could be considered stressful due to potential danger, or difficult interactions with difficult people, or worry about how something will turn out. If someone says they had a stressful day, it means that whatever happened caused them to feel pressure or anxiety.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to stressful?

• stressfully (adverb)
• unstressful

What are some synonyms for stressful?

• tense
• anxiety-inducing
• nerve-racking

What are some words that share a root or word element with stressful? 

 

• stress
• stressed
• stressed-out

What are some words that often get used in discussing stressful?

 

• day
• week
• month
• year
• job
• work
• situation

How is stressful used in real life?

Stressful is used to describe the kind of situations that make you feel pressure and anxiety. It’s often used to describe a bad day at work.

Attending virtual conferences is a stressful experience for me. I can't quite figure out the cadence, especially with different time zones. Getting to the right link at the right time… trying to figure out if the feed is real-time or recorded… getting to live Q&As… misery.

— Amy Webb (@amywebb) September 30, 2020

Today is going to be a really stressful day at work. We have a health and safety audit, and the area manager is going to be hanging around my store all day. I managed to actually sleep last night, which was really nice, but the rest of today is going to be hell.

— Mannus (@AmethystMannus) September 25, 2020

https://twitter.com/pbcgov/status/131060412090728039

 

 

Try using stressful!

Which of the following situations could be described as stressful?

A. moving to a new city to start a new job
B. getting a flat tire on the way to your first day of work
C. getting stuck in an elevator
D. all of the above