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
- stressfully adverb
- unstressful adjective
Etymology
Origin of stressful
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.
Many autistic people require additional time to process verbal information, particularly in stressful or overwhelming situations.
From Los Angeles Times
It’s a stressful moment, but my favorite moment: the split second before the cacophony of sounds erupts and the race begins.
From Literature
The Professional Footballers Association said it recognised transfer windows could be stressful and pressurised for players and their families, adding awareness of player wellbeing was "growing within the game".
From BBC
“It’s really stressful. Because I don’t have a lot of money and I was a single mother for so long, I’m very careful about my budget — I keep spreadsheets.”
From MarketWatch
It’s stressful enough without a CPA asleep on the job.
From MarketWatch
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.
