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 good news is that a few simple precautions can be the difference between a seamless journey and a stressful ordeal.
—
Lori Smith, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
One of the most stressful things that can occur in that process, though, is receiving a garnishment notice.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Justin Slaten came on for Gray and tossed a scoreless seventh, Garrett Whitlock had a perfect eighth and Aroldis Chapman survived a stressful ninth for his ninth save of the season.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026
Additionally, occasional, short-term stressful situations can increase blood pressure and are a normal part of life.
—Ashley Olivine, Verywell Health, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Lori Smith, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
One of the most stressful things that can occur in that process, though, is receiving a garnishment notice.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Justin Slaten came on for Gray and tossed a scoreless seventh, Garrett Whitlock had a perfect eighth and Aroldis Chapman survived a stressful ninth for his ninth save of the season.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026
Additionally, occasional, short-term stressful situations can increase blood pressure and are a normal part of life.
—Ashley Olivine, Verywell Health, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stressful
Adjective
-
When Thomson went through a difficult divorce, in 2014, Djena would often check in on her, showing up at her door with food.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Crow-Armstrong had just failed to make a highly difficult, leaping catch at the wall.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Each of those teams will be competing for playoff spots again, leaving the Raiders with no easy divisional wins and a tough out-of-division schedule.—
Sam Warren,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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The group did just enough against Sale and a tough Braves bullpen to avoid getting shut out for the third time in five games.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 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 19 May. 2026.
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