as in difficult
full of or causing stress; making you feel worried or anxious
I had a stressful day at work today. a stressful situation
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Recent Examples of stressful
Mamdani, by contrast, is showing up everywhere to repeat a simple message about a less stressful city full of free things: free child-care, free buses and a (stabilized) rent freeze.
—
Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 31 May 2025
Walking and even just crossing the street can be stressful because there are no crosswalks, pedestrian lights, and traffic won’t slow down for you.
—Isis Briones, Travel + Leisure, 30 May 2025
Hardin was terminated from his posts in Fayetteville and Eureka Springs due to difficulties accepting constructive criticism, indecisiveness during stressful situations, excessive force and poor decisions made on the job, according to reports from local outlets.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 29 May 2025
While that transition may come with growing pains, the physical relocation was made less stressful by the regular trips Westbeld and her teammates made to the Windy City during their days off in the summer.
—Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 31 May 2025
Walking and even just crossing the street can be stressful because there are no crosswalks, pedestrian lights, and traffic won’t slow down for you.
—Isis Briones, Travel + Leisure, 30 May 2025
Hardin was terminated from his posts in Fayetteville and Eureka Springs due to difficulties accepting constructive criticism, indecisiveness during stressful situations, excessive force and poor decisions made on the job, according to reports from local outlets.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 29 May 2025
While that transition may come with growing pains, the physical relocation was made less stressful by the regular trips Westbeld and her teammates made to the Windy City during their days off in the summer.
—Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stressful
Adjective
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No matter how sweet, the little crocodile grows bigger and more difficult to care for.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
10 June 2025
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Despite her risky gambit, Metcalfe, who is studying to be an attorney at the University of Law in Manchester, England, admits that her sport has helped her through some of the most difficult times of her life.—
Andy Frye,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Adjective
-
This is a time for doing the tough, often unglamorous job of making the city function for all New Yorkers.—
Scott Stringer,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2025
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When staring at twin suns like from much greater distances — many light-years away — astronomers have a much tougher time than young Skywalker in determining two stars from one.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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These past few weeks have been a very trying time for Who fans.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
1 June 2025
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Those first two seasons served as the most trying years of his career.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stressful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stressful. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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