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
But then comes the skiing, which is typically more nerve-wracking and stressful and woowee!
—
Frederick Dreier, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026
In practice, the loans function much like a tax – repayments are collected through the tax system – and proponents argue that presenting them with a future tax obligation is less stressful than being saddled with a large debt.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 1 Mar. 2026
But one of the stressful things about mahjong, or really planning any get together, is the where.
—Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2026
Saturday’s overtime match was a little stressful for Cunningham.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Frederick Dreier, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026
In practice, the loans function much like a tax – repayments are collected through the tax system – and proponents argue that presenting them with a future tax obligation is less stressful than being saddled with a large debt.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 1 Mar. 2026
But one of the stressful things about mahjong, or really planning any get together, is the where.
—Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2026
Saturday’s overtime match was a little stressful for Cunningham.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stressful
Adjective
-
Anyone who has seen the way the space works today can recognize that there are a lot of families who find this very, very difficult right now.—
Anna Moeslein,
Glamour,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Demonstrating that was difficult due to natural fluctuations in temperatures.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Finales can be tough, given how viewers chime in on social media.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
With the Royals negotiations collapsing with Kansas, the state may be able to get away with a tougher negotiating position.—
Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
More than half of the search-and-rescue workers who show up for the most trying missions are BUSARs.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
-
And Modi and Xi have had a more trying relationship than either has had with Putin.—
Thomas Wright,
The Atlantic,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stressful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stressful. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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