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

Low said the research was part of a series of small but impactful studies, providing foundational insights into the importance of studying individual variation and how humans react to eating in more stressful environments.

From Science Daily

"It is already stressful... all of this battling to get a little bit of help is the last layer of hell."

From BBC

Stress is a double-edged sword when it comes to memory: stressful or otherwise emotional events are usually more memorable, but stress can also make it harder for us to retrieve memories.

From Science Daily

"The system was built on fascism. This will be our chance to rebuild a system based on democracy and equality. It's a gift, actually. A painful and stressful gift."

From Salon

“It’s what I live for. Those years making this movie were stressful, but it also made me want to work more. It’s what I’m happiest doing.”

From Los Angeles Times

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