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
Some 64 percent of voters felt that the 2024 race for the White House had been either the most stressful event or one of the most stressful periods in the last 12 months of their lives.
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2024
Other recommended stress reduction tips include practicing gratitude and eliminating stressful news and social feeds.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 6 Nov. 2024
Parking is simplified, maneuvering through traffic and touring the neighborhood while low to the ground makes the experience less stressful.
—James Raia, The Mercury News, 3 Nov. 2024
Some metro residents have lilacs in bloom, a rare phenomenon caused by stressful growing conditions like drought.
—Jason Clayworth, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stressful 
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2024
Other recommended stress reduction tips include practicing gratitude and eliminating stressful news and social feeds.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 6 Nov. 2024
Parking is simplified, maneuvering through traffic and touring the neighborhood while low to the ground makes the experience less stressful.
—James Raia, The Mercury News, 3 Nov. 2024
Some metro residents have lilacs in bloom, a rare phenomenon caused by stressful growing conditions like drought.
—Jason Clayworth, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stressful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stressful
Adjective
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Antiaircraft fire kept the bombers so high, however, that aim was difficult to manage, and the bombs fell indiscriminately, destroying more than 4,300 homes while damaging three-quarters of the city's factories.Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
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But maintaining the progress made by Lynn the previous season was made all the more difficult by the fact that UCLA’s defense had been depleted by the NFL draft.Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Another commenter urged the original poster to stand her ground, and suggested a practical approach in the midst of the tough situation.Rachel Raposas, People.com, 30 Nov. 2024
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Powell inhabits a handful of tough guys and embodies a few more idiosyncratic tropes—a long-haired Russian, a Patrick Bateman power-suit type, and a character seemingly inspired by Tilda Swinton—to convince his marks.Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The Yankees never had the lead at any point in any game of the Series. Dodgers Dodgers overcome ‘most trying year’ to defeat Mets and reach the World Series Oct. 21, 2024 Memorable moment: Sandy Koufax strikes out a then-World Series record 15 Yankees in Game 1.Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
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It’s also been a trying few weeks for the Southeastern United States.Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 12 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near stressful
Cite this Entry
“Stressful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stressful. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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