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
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.
If ordering a ring online makes this experience more stressful, I say use a traditional jeweler.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
"I think about exams and not getting the right grades, which leads to not getting into the right course and then not getting into university, and it's very stressful," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Connecting information to something exciting, personally important, or emotionally engaging could make it easier to remember, particularly during stressful situations.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
“It’s very stressful when you get to this age,” said the retired daycare provider.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Exhausted, fatigued from sleepless nights, from stressful work in the freezing cold, they somehow at once pulled themselves up.”
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
