stressful
Americanadjective
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of stressful
Explanation
You might find taking tests stressful. Your hands get sweaty and you might get butterflies in your stomach. If something makes you anxious, it is stressful. Stress is how your body reacts to difficult situations. Driving through heavy city traffic can be very stressful, leaving you exhausted afterward. Some people react to stressful situations by eating too much, others by not eating, or by losing sleep. If you find something stressful, relaxation techniques like deep breathing and stretching can help your body release some of the tension and clear your brain. Then you won't be so stressed out!
Vocabulary lists containing stressful
Feed
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A First Time for Everything
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The Lions of Little Rock
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"When the vehicles arrived, the joy I felt even made me cry because I no longer have to deal with engine oil or anything stressful," he told AFP.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
It was hierarchical and stressful, but it was not because of my fellow writers, except that I wanted to impress them.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
And the chief culprit has been the use of demand-driven dynamic pricing by FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, a variable that has made ticket-buying stressful and unpredictable.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
That ball-playing ability in a goalkeeper was unheard of at many levels in English football at that time, but Raya was confident enough to showcase his talent in the most stressful situations.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
The commissioner of corrections has to approve all lockdowns, because they are stressful to inmates, essentially turning them all into keeplocks.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
