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stress
/stres/
mental or emotional strain
She felt a lot of stress before her job interview.
She experienced significant mental pressure before her job interview.
general
A state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.
Work-related stress can lead to burnout.
Pressure from work can cause exhaustion and reduced performance.
He handles stress better than anyone I know.
He manages mental strain more effectively than others.
Often used in psychology and workplace contexts.
linguistics
Emphasis or importance placed on a particular syllable or word in speech.
In the word 'record', the stress is on the first syllable when it's a noun, but on the second when it's a verb.
The pronunciation changes based on whether 'record' is used as a noun or verb.
Critical in phonetics and language learning.
Engineering
technical
Force per unit area applied to an object.
The stress on the bridge increased during the storm.
The force per unit area on the bridge's structure grew stronger during the storm.
Used in physics and engineering to describe mechanical loads.
Collocations
work stresspressure related to one's jobunder stressexperiencing mental or emotional strainstress managementtechniques to cope with mental strainphysical stressmechanical force applied to an object
Antonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Distinguish 'stress' vs. 'strain'
'Stress' is the force applied (e.g., pressure on a bridge), while 'strain' is the resulting deformation (e.g., the bridge bending).
Gold Rule
Context determines meaning
Always check if 'stress' refers to mental pressure (psychology), linguistic emphasis (speech), or physical force (engineering).
Word Origin
From Middle English 'distresse' (via Old French 'estrece' from Latin 'strictus', meaning 'drawn tight'), evolving into 'stress' by the 17th century with meanings shifting from physical pressure to mental strain.
Usage Notes
Common in both everyday and professional contexts. In psychology, 'stress' refers to the body's response to challenges, while in engineering, it describes mechanical forces. Avoid confusing with 'strain' (deformation due to stress).
Word Breakdown
stress
pressure or strain
rootEnglish Dictionary