Stress — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈstres/

Meaning & Definition of Stress

Stress (noun)

  1. constraining force or influence
  2. a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation
  3. a state resulting from a stress; especially, one of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium

Stress (verb)

  1. to lay stress on, to give special attention to, emphasize
  2. to experience bodily or mental tension because of a situation, circumstances, etc., to be worried or anxious about something —often used with out
  3. to subject to physical or psychological stress

Stress (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the burden on one's emotional or mental well-being created by demands on one's time

    "with a full-time job and her college courses, the young woman is under a lot of stress right now"

    similar: pressure, strain, tension
    related: load, weight, anxiety, concern, uneasiness, worry, aggravation, anger, annoyance, exasperation, irritation, persecution, trouble
    near: comfort, consolation

  2. a special notice or importance given to something

    "the company's orientation program places considerable stress on workplace safety"

    similar: accent, accentuation, emphasis, underscoring, weight
    related: attention, concentration, focus, spotlight, consequence, import, moment, note, significance, value, worth, precedence, primacy, priority, top billing, consideration, heed, regard
    opposite: de-emphasis
    near: minimization, underemphasis, disregard, indifference

Stress (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to experience concern or anxiety

    "the restaurant manager has a tendency to stress about every little thing that goes wrong"

    similar: bother, fear, fret, fuss, stew, sweat, trouble, worry, give a hang, sweat blood
    related: agonize, long, pine, yearn, chafe, despair
    near: accept, abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate

  2. to make more apparent

    "his bad performance only stressed what I'd been saying all along"

    similar: accentuate, bring out, emphasize, italicize, underline, underscore
    related: amplify, beef (up), boost, reinforce, strengthen, augment, deepen, enhance, enlarge, heighten, magnify, maximize, supplement, enliven, jazz (up)
    opposite: de-emphasize
    near: decrease, diminish, lessen, minimize, reduce, subdue, tone (down), understate, weaken

  3. to indicate the importance of by centering attention on

    "the doctor stressed the importance of exercise"

    similar: accent, accentuate, emphasize, feature, foreground, highlight, illuminate, play up, point (up), press, punctuate, bear down on, make much of
    related: focus, identify, pinpoint, spotlight, advertise, boost, plug, promote, publicize, overplay
    opposite: de-emphasize, play down
    near: tone (down), underemphasize, understate, belittle, discount, disparage, minimize

Related Entry: De-stress (verb)

De-stress is a different word from Stress. The synonyms below are for de-stress, not for stress.

  1. to get rid of nervous tension or anxiety

    "he watches classic movie comedies as a way to de-stress"

    similar: chill, chill out (slang), decompress, loosen up, mellow (out), relax, unwind, wind down, hang loose
    related: unbend, bask, kick back, loll, lounge, repose, rest, bum, dally, dawdle, dillydally, drone, footle, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), idle, laze, loaf, vegetate, veg out, zone out, alleviate, comfort, ease, relieve, calm, compose, cool, quiet, settle
    opposite: tense (up)

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Stress

The most common words with a similar meaning to Stress:

pressure, strain, tension, accent, accentuation, emphasis, underscoring, weight, bother, fear, fret, fuss, stew, sweat, trouble, worry, accentuate, bring out, emphasize, italicize, underline, underscore, feature, foreground, highlight, illuminate, play up, point (up), press, punctuate, give a hang, sweat blood, bear down on, make much of

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Stress

Words with the opposite meaning of Stress:

de-emphasis, de-emphasize, play down

Related Words for Stress

load, anxiety, concern, uneasiness, aggravation, anger, annoyance, exasperation, irritation, persecution, attention, concentration, focus, spotlight, consequence, import, moment, note, significance, value, worth, precedence, primacy, priority, top billing, consideration, heed, regard, agonize, long

Near Antonyms of Stress

comfort, consolation, minimization, underemphasis, disregard, indifference, accept, abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate, decrease, diminish, lessen, minimize, reduce, subdue, tone (down), understate, weaken, underemphasize, belittle, discount, disparage

Word Forms of Stress

Inflections: stressed, stressing, stresses

Origin & Etymology of Stress

Middle English stresse stress, distress, short for destresse distress

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Stress

Words & Phrases Containing Stress

stress ball, stress fracture, stress incontinence, stress mark, stress test, stress management, anti-stress, de-stress

Frequently Asked Questions about Stress

What does "Stress" mean?

"Stress" means constraining force or influence. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: constraining force or influence. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Stress"?

Other words for "Stress" include pressure, strain, tension, accent, accentuation, emphasis, underscoring and weight. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Stress" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Stress"?

There are 90 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Stress". Common alternatives include pressure, strain, tension, accent, accentuation, emphasis, underscoring, weight, bother and fear.

What is the opposite of "Stress"?

Antonyms of "Stress" include de-emphasis, de-emphasize and play down. Near antonyms include comfort, consolation, minimization and underemphasis.

How do you use "Stress" in a sentence?

Examples of "Stress" in a sentence: "with a full-time job and her college courses, the young woman is under a lot of stress right now"; "the company's orientation program places considerable stress on workplace safety"; "the restaurant manager has a tendency to stress about every little thing that goes wrong".

Is "Stress" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Stress" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Stress" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Stress" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts.

How do you pronounce "Stress"?

"Stress" is pronounced /ˈstres/.