stressed

1 of 2

adjective

ˈstrest 

: subjected to or affected by stress

Feeling stressed can often lead people to reach for a high-calorie, sugary comfort food.

—Alexa Mikhail

As important as training is to distance running, the time devoted to repair stressed muscles between races is even more crucial.

—Joseph Hall

That translates into a drought, and stressed trees are highly susceptible to beetle infestations.

—Jim Robbins

… the soundscape inside these vehicles, punctuated by mechanical rattles and the groans of stressed metal …

—Chris Knight

—often used with out

—often hyphenated before a noun

She's never looked so stressed out, or been so unflatteringly photographed.

—David Ansen

… the kind of help most stressed-out parents can only dream of …

—Michelle Tauber et al.

stressed

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of stress entry 2

Synonyms of stressed

Adjective

• tired
• exhausted
• nervous

Examples of stressed in a Sentence

Adjective

He was feeling pretty stressed about the deadline.

you seem really stressed right now, so maybe you should try to do something more relaxing

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Thanks in part to his new focus on boundaries, Tenpenny’s less stressed, more focused and more energized. — Tom Roland, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026

Low mowing allows sunlight to reach weed seeds, helping weeds overcome the stressed grass. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2026

Four months later, both groups were more stressed because of an industrywide crisis. — Harvard Business Review, 22 Sep. 2026

In the video, Villatoro and her family laughed while dealing with a situation that had left them stressed and overwhelmed. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1973, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing stressed

• stressed been
• stressed BIN
• stressed-out

Rhymes for stressed

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed