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 week, check out a compelling drug docuseries about Amsterdam's half-century of legalization, a stressful horror flick, and a new look at World War II.
—
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
Winning is fun, but even the few wins the Mets have had recently have been more stressful than fun.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Over time, your system may grow more accustomed to handling stressful conditions — a resilience that can ripple into work, home life and other high-pressure moments.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
And probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stressful
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
Winning is fun, but even the few wins the Mets have had recently have been more stressful than fun.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Over time, your system may grow more accustomed to handling stressful conditions — a resilience that can ripple into work, home life and other high-pressure moments.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
And probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stressful
Adjective
-
Combining all of this in one material has been difficult because thermal control and signal control rely on very different properties.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
-
Despite the removal of material, the architecture can result in a busy design and potentially make reading the time difficult.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
Lightly coated with oil and tossed occasionally in a searing hot skillet or wok, even tough beans turn silky, and ready to coat in a finishing blast of chiles.—
The Bon Appétit Staff,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 May 2026
-
Comfortable travel can be achieved with stretchy, breathable pants, but securing a pair that hits those marks while looking stylish can be tough.—
Rachel Trujillo,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Apr. 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 5 May. 2026.
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