1
as in pressure
the burden on one's emotional or mental well-being created by demands on one's time
with a full-time job and her college courses, the young woman is under a lot of stress right now
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in emphasis
a special notice or importance given to something
the company's orientation program places considerable stress on workplace safety
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to worry
to experience concern or anxiety
the restaurant manager has a tendency to stress about every little thing that goes wrong
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to emphasize
to make more apparent
his bad performance only stressed what I'd been saying all along
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to highlight
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on
the doctor stressed the importance of exercise
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stress
Erica Zora Wrightson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
This portable handheld fan would have been nice to have and could have prevented a lot of health stress.
—Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 26 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Early Thursday morning, NASA officials provided an update via email, which stressed that the crewmember remains stable.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stress
Noun
Désirée Zamorano Writer and educator Désirée Zamorano recalls the intensity of the time surrounding the Eaton fire last year, bookended by political stress, which hasn’t ceased.
—Erica Zora Wrightson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
This portable handheld fan would have been nice to have and could have prevented a lot of health stress.
—Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
Sometimes, especially in summers when a coyote pair is stressed trying to raise pups, the parents might become serial killers of cats (one British Columbia coyote den yielded fifty-five cat collars).
—Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Early Thursday morning, NASA officials provided an update via email, which stressed that the crewmember remains stable.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stress
Noun
-
Signing with such a star-laden team tempers some of the pressure that usually comes with being the new big-money free agent in town.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Furthermore, silver mining is inherently cyclical, and cost pressures, equipment downtime, or regulatory challenges in Mexico may hinder future earnings.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Part of the recent emphasis on UCLA’s defense has meant a slower pace on offense to minimize opponents’ possessions.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Similarly, the emphasis on independence and nonconformity reflects what psychologists call autonomy orientation.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Don’t worry too much about organizing everything perfectly here.—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
22 Jan. 2026
-
There’s an absent father and a clueless, neglectful mother but the five Gilbert children — Lydia, Hugo, Annabel, Jeremy and Rosalind — are essentially raising themselves in an English country house of secret passages and worrying infestations.—
Chris Hewitt,
Boston Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Anne Arundel County police said their investigation into the incident is ongoing and emphasized that its officers do not enforce immigration law or conduct ICE operations.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Researchers emphasize that the full scope of the outbreak among elephant seals may be far greater than current numbers suggest.—
Brian Hackney,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Tokyo — Japanese fans rushed to farewell the country’s last two pandas on Sunday ahead of their return to China, in a departure that highlights strained relations between the two countries.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
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Hearings on the impact of AI on public education, as well as jobs, cybersecurity, privacy, the environment, and copyright infringement will highlight the issues and possible legislative solutions.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
When paying a full tax bill right away would create financial strain, the IRS may allow eligible taxpayers to temporarily delay collection efforts.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
-
District officials hope to to maintain student enrollment and ease the strain of a $65 million deficit, all while warding off the looming threat of a state takeover.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Stepheny Price is a Writer at Fox News with a focus on West Coast and Midwest news, missing persons, national and international crime stories, homicide cases, and border security.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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Barra says the focus now is on making cars more affordable, incorporating artificial intelligence and new technology like Google Gemini to make the vehicles safer and appealing to the consumer.—
Julia Avant,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, Takaichi has called an election on February 8 in a bid to reinforce her mandate on a range of policies, potentially including her tougher stance on China, having secured the office by winning an internal contest among her Liberal Democratic Party in October.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
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Their choices can either reinforce harms or reduce them.—
Monica Sanders,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stress. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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