stressful

stressful — adjective

1. describes a job, situation, or period that causes you to feel anxious or tense b

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a job, situation, or period that causes you to feel anxious or tense because it is demanding or difficult.

Example

Kian found his new job as a night-shift nurse very stressful.

predicate adjective with 'find + object + adjective'

Moving to a new city can be a stressful experience for young children.

attributive adjective before noun

Common collocations
  • stressful job
  • stressful experience
  • stressful situation
  • stressful time
  • stressful day
  • stressful event
  • stressful period
  • stressful week
  • stressful relationship
  • stressful work environment
  • extremely stressful
  • incredibly stressful
  • particularly stressful
  • emotionally stressful
  • find something stressful
  • stressful for someone
Synonyms
  • tense

    focuses on the feeling of mental or emotional strain rather than the situation causing it; 'a tense atmosphere' vs 'a stressful job'

  • nerve-wracking

    more informal and emotional, often used for specific events like exams or speeches

  • taxing

    emphasises the physical or mental effort required; slightly more formal

  • demanding

    highlights the amount of effort required rather than the negative emotional effect

Antonyms
  • relaxing

    causing calm rather than worry; opposite in effect

  • calming

    actively reducing anxiety rather than creating it

  • restful

    giving a feeling of peace and recovery; often used for holidays or environments

Grammar Patterns

stressful + noun

find + it + stressful + to-infinitive

be + stressful + for + someone

Usage Note

Commonly used to describe work, study, relationships, and life transitions. The subject is usually a situation or experience, not a person — you say 'a stressful day', not 'a stressful person' (use 'stressed' instead for people).

Common Mistakes

I feel very stressful about the exam.
I feel very stressed about the exam.
'stressful' describes the thing that causes stress; 'stressed' describes how a person feels.
She is a stressful teacher.' (if you mean she feels stressed).
She is a stressed teacher.
Use 'stressful' only when the person or thing causes stress in others.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe situations that require effort or cause discomfort, but they differ in what they emphasise. 'Stressful' is the broadest and most common — it covers any situation that makes you feel anxious, from a heavy workload to personal conflict. 'Tense' focuses on the atmosphere or feeling of strain, often in interpersonal situations (a tense meeting, a tense silence). 'Nerve-wracking' is more informal and emotional, typically used for specific high-stakes events like job interviews or driving tests. 'Taxing' and 'demanding' highlight the amount of effort needed more than the emotional toll: a long hike is taxing on the body, and a challenging project is demanding of your time, but neither is necessarily stressful unless the pressure bothers you.

tense ↗nerve-wrackingtaxingdemanding

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • find something stressful
  • feel stressed about

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Formed from the noun 'stress' (from Latin 'strictus', meaning 'drawn tight', via Old French 'estresse' meaning 'narrowness' or 'oppression') plus the suffix '-ful' (meaning 'full of'). The word entered English in the mid-20th century as the modern psychological concept of 'stress' became widespread.