1
as in worrying
to experience concern or anxiety
the restaurant manager has a tendency to stress about every little thing that goes wrong
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in emphasizing
to make more apparent
his bad performance only stressed what I'd been saying all along
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in highlighting
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on
the doctor stressed the importance of exercise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stressing
Avoid cutting more than ⅓ off your plant at one time to avoid stressing the plant.
—
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026
While the boys coaches were stressing out, the Bloomfield girls won easily, with 76 points and Greenwich was the runner-up with 55.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
Nathan Muckey, the school’s principal, sent parents and guardians an email ahead of the walkout stressing that building and district staff would prioritize student safety in their response.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026
Silver was described as forceful in stressing the need to safeguard competitive integrity, with league executives continuing a series of conversations that began months ago and have only intensified.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2026
Yet lawyers for the parents suing point to internal documents at the companies stressing the goal of making social media apps difficult to put down through features like infinite scroll, auto-play, likes, beauty filters and push notifications.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
While stressing that Globo shows are very well liked around the world, Medeiros pointed out that the group is not really in the same game.
—Ed Meza, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
Nearly seven years after Robbie’s talk, SCC President Jeannie Kim sent a letter to the Ramirez family, stressing the college’s goal to rebuild the family’s trust.
—Larry D. Urish, Oc Register, 18 Feb. 2026
But stressing about the impact of aging on your health can actually work against your goal of having a longer healthspan, according to new research.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 16 Feb. 2026
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026
While the boys coaches were stressing out, the Bloomfield girls won easily, with 76 points and Greenwich was the runner-up with 55.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
Nathan Muckey, the school’s principal, sent parents and guardians an email ahead of the walkout stressing that building and district staff would prioritize student safety in their response.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026
Silver was described as forceful in stressing the need to safeguard competitive integrity, with league executives continuing a series of conversations that began months ago and have only intensified.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2026
Yet lawyers for the parents suing point to internal documents at the companies stressing the goal of making social media apps difficult to put down through features like infinite scroll, auto-play, likes, beauty filters and push notifications.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
While stressing that Globo shows are very well liked around the world, Medeiros pointed out that the group is not really in the same game.
—Ed Meza, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
Nearly seven years after Robbie’s talk, SCC President Jeannie Kim sent a letter to the Ramirez family, stressing the college’s goal to rebuild the family’s trust.
—Larry D. Urish, Oc Register, 18 Feb. 2026
But stressing about the impact of aging on your health can actually work against your goal of having a longer healthspan, according to new research.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stressing
Verb
-
Instead of worrying about ratings, the new late-night creators are directly beholden to their viewers.—
Joy Press,
Vanity Fair,
19 Feb. 2026
-
But Joe Garcia, a Democratic former congressman from Miami, said that stance could backfire as Cuban Americans begin worrying about their relatives on the island.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Every piece in the collection celebrates the symbolism of constellations, while emphasizing nature and astronomy.—
Micaela English,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Hammer leavens the central drama with a subplot involving Amanda’s daughter Sara and her burgeoning love affair with a local boy, emphasizing Amanda’s dilemma, having to play mother to her mother and let her little girl go.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In Tuesday night’s State of the Union address — the longest in modern history — Trump defended his immigration crackdown by highlighting crimes by undocumented immigrants.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
-
This two-culture kitchen approach — fusion cooking, as it is still sometimes called — provides a satisfying meal highlighting the best of each.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
French President Emmanuel Macron, representing one of only two states in Europe (the other being Britain) with nuclear weapons capability, is pushing for intra-European debates on reinforcing nuclear deterrence — with or without the United States.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Conventional reinforcing steel is embedded in it to increase its load-bearing capacity.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
New York’s Tomiño serves impeccable seafood platters featuring prawns, scampi, and scallops, an authentic feast for anyone who enjoys the taste of the sea that is so popular in Spain.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The Moth—whose live storytelling events and beloved podcast have brought over 65,000 true personal stories to audiences worldwide—partners with Comic Relief to present a special Moth Mainstage show featuring a cast of comedians.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stressing. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
