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
The findings reveal that the happiest jobs aren’t necessarily the least stressful.
—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Learning that an estate may not have enough assets to pay every creditor can be stressful, but that doesn't necessarily mean surviving relatives become responsible for those balances.
—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
Then suddenly your room gets transformed into this extremely stressful, cool, cinematic experience.
—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
30 June 2026
Life is stressful and hard, but let’s find joy in our everyday beauty routines—and Brunel is making that easier.
—
Gina Vaynshteyn,
StyleCaster,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Learning that an estate may not have enough assets to pay every creditor can be stressful, but that doesn't necessarily mean surviving relatives become responsible for those balances.
—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
Then suddenly your room gets transformed into this extremely stressful, cool, cinematic experience.
—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
30 June 2026
Life is stressful and hard, but let’s find joy in our everyday beauty routines—and Brunel is making that easier.
—
Gina Vaynshteyn,
StyleCaster,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stressful
Adjective
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Sarah Buck, Chicago Driving has become harder The rapid increase in bike lanes has made driving much more difficult and tedious, with numerous delays due to many streets being reduced to one lane in busy areas.
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Republican strategists have welcomed those nominations as an opening for attack in a difficult election year.
Adjective
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MacDonald agrees that some of Kiros' positions could put Democratic candidates in a tough spot.
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The 34 measures include cuts to income tax for low- and middle income families, an overhaul of the creaking pension system, tougher rules for employees' sick leave and a reduction of the country's stifling bureaucracy.
Adjective
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Either way, a spot in the round of 32 would be a just reward for a team that is unbeaten two games into what has been an extremely trying tournament off the field.
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More than half of the search-and-rescue workers who show up for the most trying missions are BUSARs.
Cite this Entry
“Stressful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stressful. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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