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
Moving is expensive and stressful.
—
Bill Gurley, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Others, such as Susan Braverman, also reported feeling stretched thin after being required to work in stressful conditions with higher-than-normal callout rates while not receiving compensation.
—Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Even the mildest of temperatures and least stressful of days can trigger puddles inside my shoes.
—Christa Sgobba, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2026
For the puppy, leaving its mother and littermates can be stressful at first, and crying or whining is normal.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Bill Gurley, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Others, such as Susan Braverman, also reported feeling stretched thin after being required to work in stressful conditions with higher-than-normal callout rates while not receiving compensation.
—Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Even the mildest of temperatures and least stressful of days can trigger puddles inside my shoes.
—Christa Sgobba, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2026
For the puppy, leaving its mother and littermates can be stressful at first, and crying or whining is normal.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stressful
Adjective
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There were also high-arcing 3-pointers that touched nothing but the net, a difficult runner through contact that went in, and the kind of gravity that gave Kristaps Porzingis a layup just by cutting into space while the big man dove.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2026
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Some things in life are difficult.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The judge assigned to Amin’s case was Iman Afshari, known in Tehran for his tough sentences—a reputation that led the European Union to place him on a blacklist, in January, for human-rights abuses.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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Two sisters in Big Bear are facing one of the toughest moments in their lives.—
Zach Boetto,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Stressful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stressful. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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