stressed

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1

Definition

the form of the verb 'stress' used to talk about something that happened in the past, or to describe something that has already been completed — for example, when someone gave emphasis to an idea, pronounced a syllable with extra force, or caused someone to feel worried.

Example

The manager stressed that all reports must be submitted by Friday afternoon.

past tense + that-clause for emphasis

Jiwoo stressed the first syllable of the word when she read it aloud.

past tense for pronunciation emphasis

Common collocations

stressed the importance
stressed the need
stressed that
stressed syllable
stressed to the limit

Synonyms

emphasized
more formal; used for highlighting importance rather than pronunciation
highlighted
focuses on drawing attention, not necessarily with urgency
accented
specifically for pronunciation or musical emphasis

Grammar Patterns

stressed + that-clause

stressed + noun phrase

be stressed (passive construction with meaning 'caused worry')

Usage Note

The verb form 'stressed' covers all meanings of the base verb 'stress', including emphasizing an idea ('He stressed the need for honesty'), pronouncing a syllable with more force ('She stressed the second syllable'), and causing worry ('The long hours stressed everyone out'). Context determines which meaning is intended.

Common Mistakes

The teacher stressed out the importance of the exam.

The teacher stressed the importance of the exam.

'stress out' is for causing worry, not for giving emphasis.

He stressed me to finish the work.

He stressed the importance of finishing the work.' or 'He stressed me out by pushing me to finish.

'stressed' meaning 'emphasized' takes a thing (not a person) as its object.

1.adjectiveB1

Definition

feeling worried, nervous, or unable to relax because of too much pressure or too many demands — for example, a student before exams, a parent with young children, or a worker facing a tight deadline.

Example

Élise felt stressed about her final exams and could not sleep well for three nights.

stressed about + [situation]

The stressed nurses worked double shifts during the busy holiday season at the hospital.

attributive: stressed + [noun]

Common collocations

feel stressed
get stressed
become stressed
stressed about work
stressed by the pressure
stressed out
extremely stressed
stressed parents
stressed students

Synonyms

anxious
more general; anxious can describe worry without a clear external cause
tense
suggests muscles are tight and the person is on edge
overwhelmed
stronger; means the pressure has become too much to handle

Antonyms

relaxed
calm and free from worry
calm
not nervous or upset

Grammar Patterns

feel / get / become / look stressed

stressed about [something]

stressed by [someone or something]

stressed out

Usage Note

Commonly paired with 'out' for emphasis: 'stressed out' means very stressed, almost unable to cope. The 'out' adds a sense of being completely overwhelmed. 'Stressed' can also be used attributively (before a noun) as in 'stressed parents' or 'a stressed workforce', though the predicative position ('The parents feel stressed') is more frequent.

Common Mistakes

I am stress about the exam.

I am stressed about the exam.

'stress' is a noun or verb; the adjective form is 'stressed'.

She was very stressing about the meeting.

She was very stressed about the meeting.

'stressing' is the present participle of the verb; the adjective for feeling anxious is 'stressed'.

2.adjectiveB2

Definition

said with more force than other syllables or words in speech, so that it sounds louder and clearer to the listener — for example, the first syllable of 'baby' or the second syllable of 'hotel'.

Example

In the word 'photograph', the first syllable is stressed and the rest are not.

stressed syllable identification

Meera marked the stressed syllables on her worksheet with a small dot above each one.

marking stressed syllables as a learning task

Common collocations

stressed syllable
stressed vowel
stressed position
stressed word
stressed or unstressed
heavily stressed
lightly stressed

Synonyms

accented
more general; can also refer to musical or diacritic emphasis
emphasized
broader; includes non-phonetic emphasis such as rhetorical stress
prominent
describes the perception of being more noticeable in speech

Antonyms

unstressed
the direct opposite in phonetic contexts
weak
describes a vowel or syllable that receives little or no emphasis

Grammar Patterns

stressed syllable / vowel / position

[syllable] is stressed

stressed or unstressed

Usage Note

Primarily used in linguistics and language-learning contexts. The opposite term is 'unstressed'. In English, content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives) typically have at least one stressed syllable, while function words (prepositions, articles) are often unstressed in connected speech.

Common Mistakes

The stress syllable comes first in the word.

The stressed syllable comes first in the word.

Use the adjective 'stressed', not the noun 'stress', before 'syllable'.

She stressed the first syllable.' (when describing a linguistic pattern, not a one-time action)

The first syllable is stressed in that word.

Use the adjective form for describing a fixed pattern of a word.

Idioms

stressed out

idiom

feeling extremely worried, anxious, and unable to cope because of too much pressure from work, school, or personal problems.

Tara was completely stressed out about her visa application and checked the mail every hour.

After the wedding planning was over, Beatrix felt too stressed out to even eat dinner that night.

Word family

stress
nounB1
stress
verbB1
stressful
adjectiveB1
unstressed
adjectiveB2
stressed out
adjectiveB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe negative emotional states, but they differ in cause and intensity. Stressed specifically points to external pressure — too much work, a tight deadline, or a difficult situation — as the cause of the feeling. Anxious is more internal; a person can feel anxious without a clear external reason, often about future events. Tense adds a physical dimension: tight shoulders, clenched jaw, shallow breathing. Overwhelmed is the strongest of the four — it means the pressure has exceeded what the person can handle. For example: 'Jiwoo felt stressed about the exam schedule' (external demands), 'She felt anxious about the results even though she had studied hard' (internal worry), 'Her shoulders were tense from hours of studying' (physical sign), and 'When the teacher gave two more assignments, she felt completely overwhelmed' (too much to handle).

stressed ↗anxious ↗tense ↗overwhelmed ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

stressed out
get stressed
feel stressed
become stressed
look stressed

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Latin 'strictus' meaning 'drawn tight, compressed', which passed into Old French as 'estrecier' (to tighten, constrain). The word entered Middle English as 'stresse' in the 14th century, originally meaning 'hardship, adversity, or physical pressure'. By the 20th century, 'stress' came to describe mental and emotional strain, and the adjective 'stressed' (feeling under pressure) emerged in everyday language. The phonetic sense — a syllable pronounced with more force — developed from the physical metaphor of 'pressing' or 'pushing' on a sound.

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stressed

stressed — verb

1. the form of the verb 'stress' used to talk about something that happened in the

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

stressed — adjective

1. feeling worried, nervous, or unable to relax because of too much pressure or too

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. said with more force than other syllables or words in speech, so that it sounds

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

stressed out

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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