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 entertaining songs and visuals divert their attention away from a stressful day at school.
—
Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 12 Sep. 2025
Tukio Air Trackers 4-Pack Nothing’s quite as stressful as losing your luggage on a trip.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2025
That was incredibly stressful for me.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2025
When the mice were put into a stressful or anxiety-provoking situation, the brain cells that had these changes were the ones that became most active.
—New Atlas, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 12 Sep. 2025
Tukio Air Trackers 4-Pack Nothing’s quite as stressful as losing your luggage on a trip.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2025
That was incredibly stressful for me.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2025
When the mice were put into a stressful or anxiety-provoking situation, the brain cells that had these changes were the ones that became most active.
—New Atlas, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stressful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stressful
Adjective
-
Ncell, Nepal’s second-largest telecommunications service provider, noted that shutting down all platforms at once was, in any case, technically difficult and warned that the move would severely impact business.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
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Last summer, after years of hip problems and some difficult surgeries to address them, Jill had an operation that went poorly.—
Bianca Bosker,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The backcourt duo of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, also known as the StudBudz, are shifty, tough shot-making guards who can get hot in a hurry.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
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And that’s tough on those guys.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Doing the right thing is the right way to inoculate your business against exogenous events, while positioning your brand for sustainable growth in even the most trying of times.—
Michael Ringman,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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But agricultural leaders see this year as one of the industry’s most trying periods, beset by economic and political factors that could significantly reduce production.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stressful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stressful. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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