stress

noun

(physics) force that produces strain on a physical body

difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension

special emphasis attached to something

(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense

the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)

verb

test the limits of

put stress on

to stress, single out as important

Roots

stringerestress- · Latin · draw tight

Synonyms for stress

tensionn tensenessn strainn emphasisn accentuatev overstressv emphasizev anxietyn accentuationn accentn overexertionn overstrainn

Synonyms & related words for stress

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of stress — including tension, tenseness, strain, emphasis, accentuate, overstress. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to stress

Explore words related to stress — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include restress, unstress, technostress, hyperstress, stressor, antistress, stressful, straint. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for stress

Common synonyms for stress include tension, tenseness, strain, emphasis, accentuate, overstress, emphasize, anxiety — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does stress come from?

The word stress breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root stress-, from Latin stringere (“draw tight”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.