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
This actually makes the shipping process less stressful for the plant.
—
Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2025
Signs of conflict between groups include hissing, fighting, blocking access to resources, or excessive focus on one another—often subtle but highly stressful for the affected feline.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Planning ahead can help your Disney World trip feel less stressful and more fun.
—Marilyn La Jeunesse, Parents, 31 Oct. 2025
The flight disruption comes amid a stressful environment for air travel as the month-long government shutdown raises staffing issues for air traffic controllers and fuels flight delays, all while the holiday travel season looms.
—Pete Muntean, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2025
Signs of conflict between groups include hissing, fighting, blocking access to resources, or excessive focus on one another—often subtle but highly stressful for the affected feline.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Planning ahead can help your Disney World trip feel less stressful and more fun.
—Marilyn La Jeunesse, Parents, 31 Oct. 2025
The flight disruption comes amid a stressful environment for air travel as the month-long government shutdown raises staffing issues for air traffic controllers and fuels flight delays, all while the holiday travel season looms.
—Pete Muntean, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stressful
Adjective
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Cue, Helm’s first rejection, abandonment, difficult emotions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
This character was actually quite difficult for me.—
Gavin J Blair,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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This loss had to be especially tough for the Jayhawks, considering a controversial holding call on KU changed the momentum of the game.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
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However, their record at the Etihad makes for tough reading.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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And Modi and Xi have had a more trying relationship than either has had with Putin.—
Thomas Wright,
The Atlantic,
17 Sep. 2025
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When your spouse passes away, this can be a very trying and confusing time.—
Thomas Hager,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stressful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stressful. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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