stress
[noun]
Synonyms:
- strain, anxiety, burden, pressure, tension, trauma, worry
- emphasis, force, significance, weight
- accent, accentuation, beat, emphasis
[verb]
Synonyms:
- emphasize, accentuate, dwell on, underline

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Related Words: pinch, burden, weight, import, importance

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English Thesaurus: emphasize, stress, highlight, underline/underscore, accentuate, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. stress¹ S3 W3 AC /stres/ noun
[Word Family: adjective: stressed, stressful; verb: stress; noun: stress]
[Date: 1300-1400; Origin: distress]

1. WORRY [uncountable and countable] continuous feelings of worry about your work or personal life, that prevent you from relaxing ⇒ strain:
Your headaches are due to stress.
Janet’s been under a lot of stress since her mother’s illness.
all the stresses of public life
A lot of illnesses are stress-related.

2. FORCE [uncountable and countable] the physical force or pressure on an object:
Shoes with high heels put a great deal of stress on knees and ankles.

3. IMPORTANCE [uncountable] the special attention or importance given to a particular idea, fact, or activity Synonym : emphasis
put/lay stress on something
Pugh laid particular stress on the need for discipline.

4. WORD/MUSIC [uncountable and countable] the degree of force or loudness with which a part of a word is pronounced or a note in music is played, which makes it sound stronger than other parts or notes

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. stress² S3 W3 AC verb [transitive]
[Word Family: adjective: stressed, stressful; verb: stress; noun: stress]

1. to emphasize a statement, fact, or idea
stress that
The report stressed that student math skills need to improve.
Crawford stressed the need for more housing downtown.
She stressed the importance of a balanced diet.

2. to pronounce a word or part of a word so that it sounds louder or more forceful:
The word ‘machine’ is stressed on the second syllable.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

stress
noun
I. state of tension
ADJ. acute, considerable, extreme, great, high, severe Separation is a time of high emotional stress.
excessive | greater, increased | low | daily the daily stress of teaching
emotional, mental, psychological, social | economic, financial The high mortgage payments put them under severe financial stress.
QUANT. level Many workers experience a high level of stress in their daily life.
VERB + STRESS cause, create A divorce causes children great emotional stress.
avoid, remove | add to, increase | reduce, relieve | be under, experience, have, suffer (from) He's been under a lot of stress lately.
cope with, handle, manage, stand, take He's had to give up his job as leader of the project?he just couldn't take the stress.
STRESS + VERB bring sth about/on an illness brought on by stress
STRESS + NOUN level high stress levels
control, management Staff are encouraged to go on stress management courses.
PREP. under ~ He broke under stress and had to leave.
PHRASES a source of stress An overcrowded workplace can be a major source of stress.
a symptom of stress Tiredness is one of the most common symptoms of stress.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stress
II. emphasis that shows importance
ADJ. enormous, great | particular, special | equal | undue
VERB + STRESS lay, place, put I must lay great stress on the need for secrecy.
PREP. with the ~ on a study of child development, with the stress on acquisition of social skills
~ on There's been a lot of stress on getting drug sellers off the streets.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stress
III. emphasis on a word, syllable, etc.
ADJ. main, major, primary, strong | secondary, weak | sentence, word
VERB + STRESS carry, have, take Italian words usually have the main stress on the penultimate syllable in the word. The first syllable takes the stress.
place, put | mark Mark the primary stress in each word.
STRESS + VERB fall, go Where does the stress fall in ‘psychological’?
STRESS + NOUN mark | pattern
PREP. ~ on There's a stress on the second syllable.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stress
IV. physical force
ADJ. enormous, high | low | constant | equal There is equal stress on all parts of the structure.
VERB + STRESS exert, set up The tower exerts an enormous stress on the walls. The movements set up stresses in the earth's crust.
apply, put, subject sth to Stress is applied to the wood to make it bend. Standing all day puts stress on your feet. The buttresses are subjected to constant stress.
bear, take, withstand | increase, reduce | transfer, transmit | calculate Engineers calculated the stresses borne by each of the bridge supports.
PREP. under ~ Some woods warp under stress.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stress
verb
ADV. heavily, strongly He stressed the point very strongly that all these services cost money.
constantly, continually, repeatedly She has constantly stressed the government's poor record in this area.
rightly Doctors have rightly stressed the importance of exercise.
VERB + STRESS can only, must I must stress that we still know very little about this disease.
tend to Private schools tend to stress the more academic subjects.
be anxious to, be at pains to, be careful to, be keen to She is at pains to stress the cultural differences between the two countries.
be important to
PHRASES be worth stressing sth It is worth stressing that this was only a relatively small survey.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stress

suffer from stress
If you are suffering from stress, you may be more likely to become ill.
cause stress
Moving house often causes stress.
cope with/deal with stress
People find different ways of dealing with stress.
reduce/relieve stress
Don’t resort to alcohol to relieve your stress.
great/considerable/enormous
Staff experienced considerable stress as a result of the changes.
mental/emotional stress
It was a time of great emotional stress for me.
be under stress
She's been under a lot of stress lately.
a cause of stress
Balancing work and family is the main cause of stress for many people.
signs/symptoms/effects of stress
Headaches, migraines, and irritability are all signs of stress.
The effects of stress are subtle and sometimes difficult to see.
sb’s stress level (also sb’s level of stress)
Exercise reduces stress levels.
stresses and strains (=a lot of different worries that are caused by something)
the stresses and strains of everyday life
stress management
Some patients may benefit from being taught stress management skills.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

emphasize to say strongly or show clearly that a fact, idea etc is especially important:
Our company emphasizes the need for good communication between staff.
stress to emphasize something when you are talking about a subject:
Most schools stress the importance of parental involvement in their child’s learning.
He stressed the need for parents to listen to their children.
highlight to show that something is important, so that people will pay special attention to it:
This case highlights the need for tougher laws on gun ownership.
The report highlights the decline in the numbers of native plants and insects.
underline/underscore to help to show clearly that a fact is true, especially a fact that is already known:
These attacks underline the fact that the security situation here remains fragile.
The president’s speech repeatedly underscored the progress that has been made.
accentuate to show something clearly and make it easier to notice:
The recent economic crisis has accentuated the gap between the rich and the poor.
overemphasize to emphasize something too much:
The relation between food and health is often overemphasized in my view.
play up to emphasize something and make it seem more important than it really is, especially to get advantages for yourself:
The story has been played up by the media.
The Labour party had a great time playing up the Conservatives’ problems.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

worry a problem that you are anxious about or are not sure how to deal with:
You should discuss your worries with your parents.
Worries about the company’s performance sent its share prices falling.
concern a situation that makes you feel worried, especially a problem that affects a lot of people, but that may not affect you personally:
One concern is the effects of these chemicals on the environment.
Our main concern is that the boys are well looked after while their parents are away.
troubles problems in your life that you are worried about:
I don't want to bore you with my troubles.
She has enough troubles of her own at the moment.
I hope all our troubles will be over soon.
cares written problems or responsibilities in your life that make you worry:
She was not ready for the cares and responsibilities of running a family.
A holiday would give them chance to forget about all their cares.
hang-up informal a feeling of worry or embarrassment about something personal, such as your appearance or relationships with other people:
She has a hang-up about her nose.
We all have our hang-ups.
anxiety the feeling of being worried because you think that something bad has happened or will happen, and you feel that you have no control over the situation:
The thought of having to give a speech filled me with anxiety.
The increase in heating costs is causing a lot of anxiety among elderly people.
stress the feeling of being worried all the time, for example about work or personal problems, which can make you ill or very tired:
Her financial problems were causing her a lot of stress.
anguish a feeling of extreme mental suffering caused by worry:
How could her parents survive the anguish of not knowing what had happened to her?
When she spoke, her voice was full of anguish.
angst a strong feeling of worry and anxiety because you are worried about your life, your future, or what you should do in a particular situation:
The letter was full of teenage angst - would she ever be able to find another boyfriend?
There was much angst about the decision.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

worry the feeling of not being happy or relaxed and thinking a lot about a problem or something that is wrong:
She was sick with worry over her daughter.
the look of worry on his face
anxiety the feeling of being worried because you think that something bad has happened or will happen, and you feel that you have no control over the situation:
The thought of having to give a speech filled me with anxiety.
The increase in heating costs is causing a lot of anxiety among elderly people.
concern a worried feeling – use this especially when many people are worried about a problem that affects everyone:
The shortage of water is beginning to cause widespread concern.
stress the feeling of being worried all the time, for example about work or personal problems, which can make you ill or very tired:
Her financial problems were causing her a lot of stress.
anguish a feeling of extreme mental suffering caused by worry:
How could her parents survive the anguish of not knowing what had happened to her?
When she spoke, her voice was full of anguish.
angst a strong feeling of worry and anxiety because you are worried about your life, your future, or what you should do in a particular situation:
The letter was full of teenage angst - would she ever be able to find another boyfriend?
There was much angst about the decision.
stress the importance of something
He has always stressed the importance of a stable family.
stress the need for something
She stressed the need for more effective policing.
stress a point
This point needs to be stressed.
stress a fact
Medicines usually stress the fact that you must not exceed the stated dose.
stress the role of somebody/something
In her speech, she stressed the role of parents in preventing youth crime.
stress your commitment to (doing) something
The President stressed his commitment to tackling world poverty.
emphasize to say strongly or show clearly that a fact, idea etc is especially important:
Our company emphasizes the need for good communication between staff.
highlight to show that something is important, so that people will pay special attention to it:
This case highlights the need for tougher laws on gun ownership.
The report highlights the decline in the numbers of native plants and insects.
underline/underscore to help to show clearly that a fact is true, especially a fact that is already known:
These attacks underline the fact that the security situation here remains fragile.
The president’s speech repeatedly underscored the progress that has been made.
accentuate to show something clearly and make it easier to notice:
The recent economic crisis has accentuated the gap between the rich and the poor.
overemphasize to emphasize something too much:
The relation between food and health is often overemphasized in my view.
play up to emphasize something and make it seem more important than it really is, especially to get advantages for yourself:
The story has been played up by the media.
The Labour party had a great time playing up the Conservatives’ problems.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲