stress

1 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 pressure, strain, tension Related Words load, weight; anxiety, concern, uneasiness, worry; aggravation, anger, annoyance, exasperation, irritation, persecution, trouble Near Antonyms comfort, consolation

2 a special notice or importance given to something the company's orientation program places considerable stress on workplace safety Synonyms accent, accentuation, emphasis, underscoring, weightRelated Words attention, concentration, focus, spotlight; consequence, import, moment, note, significance, value, worth; precedence, primacy, priority, top billing; consideration, heed, regardNear Antonyms minimization, underemphasis; disregard, indifferenceAntonyms de-emphasis

1 to experience concern or anxiety the restaurant manager has a tendency to stress about every little thing that goes wrong Synonyms bother, fear, fret, fuss, stew, worry, sweat, troubleRelated Words agonize; long, pine, yearn; chafe; despairNear Antonyms accept; abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate

2 to make more apparent his bad performance only stressed what I'd been saying all along Synonyms accentuate, bring out, italicize, emphasize, underline, underscoreRelated Words amplify, beef (up), boost, reinforce (also reenforce), strengthen; augment, deepen, enhance, enlarge, heighten, magnify, maximize, supplement; enliven, jazz (up)Near Antonyms decrease, diminish, lessen, minimize, reduce, subdue, tone (down), understate, weakenAntonyms de-emphasize

3 to indicate the importance of by centering attention on the doctor stressed the importance of exercise Synonyms accent, accentuate, feature, foreground, highlight, illuminate, play up, point (up), press, punctuate, emphasizeRelated Words focus, identify, pinpoint, spotlight; advertise, boost, plug, promote, publicize; overplayNear Antonyms tone (down), underemphasize, understate; belittle, discount, disparage, minimizeAntonyms de-emphasize, play down