stressful

[ stres-fuhl ]

/ ˈstrɛs fəl /

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See synonyms for stressful on Thesaurus.com

adjective

full of stress or tension: the stressful days before a war.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of stressful

First recorded in 1850–55; stress + -ful

OTHER WORDS FROM stressful

stress·ful·ly, adverbun·stress·ful, adjective

Words nearby stressful

stress, stress ball, stressbuster, stressed-out, stress fracture, stressful, stress mark, stressor, stress out, stress position, stress test

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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.

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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?

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

How to use stressful in a sentence

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.
Puberty can repair the brain’s stress responses after hardship early in life|Esther Landhuis|August 28, 2020|Science News
So her team invited 280 children into the lab to complete two stressful tasks.
Puberty may reboot the brain and behaviors|Esther Landhuis|August 27, 2020|Science News For Students
It would not be ethical to randomly assign humans to experience such stressful conditions.
A bit of stress may help young people build resilience|Esther Landhuis|August 27, 2020|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.
The New Camper Companies Redefining Road Travel|Alex Temblador|August 27, 2020|Outside Online

Isolating expectant mothers as though they had the virus created a stressful birth experience, a clinician noted.
Federal Investigation Finds Hospital Violated Patients’ Rights by Profiling, Separating Native Mothers and Newborns|by Bryant Furlow, New Mexico In Depth|August 22, 2020|ProPublica
“I mean, my life is not that stressful,” Collins said, feeling better.
Jeopardy! Champion Julia Collins’s Brain Feels Like Mush|Sujay Kumar|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There's so many different needs you have to meet, so you learn how it can be really stressful as well.
Michael B. Jordan: Playing a Black Superhero in 'Fantastic Four' Is a 'Huge Responsibility'|Kevin Fallon|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Commercial airline pilot is consistently placed near the top of “Most Stressful Jobs” lists.
Busted for Heroin: When Pilots Fly High|Caitlin Dickson|July 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets and noisy, stressful environments.
Meet the Chef Fighting to Ensure That Brazilians Will Never Be as Fat as Americans|Brandon Presser|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Six months later, she went through the same stressful search for another shelter.
How To Help America’s Trafficking Victims In The Long Term|Ima Matul|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hewson might not have been in what he thought any stressful need of ghostly comfort or reassurance in matters of faith.
Questionable Shapes|William Dean Howells
And all putting in and getting nothing out results in stressful times, in business ventures as in the case of individuals.
A Maid of the Silver Sea|John Oxenham
Another hour of this stressful tedium and they heard a sound of sharp significance.
Blackbeard: Buccaneer|Ralph D. Paine
Her eyes—they were the serene eyes of cool gray that take on slate-blue tints in stressful moments—met his defiantly.
The Grafters|Francis Lynde
Our eyes must not be fixed merely on this stressful present, but on the world as it will be ten years hence.
Another Sheaf|John Galsworthy