Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
stress (noun)1.
constraining force or influence as
a) a force exerted when one body or body part presses on, pulls on, pushes against, or tends to compress or twist another body or body part , especially the intensity of this mutual force commonly expressed in pounds per square inch
b) the deformation caused in a body by such a force
c) a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation
d) a state resulting from a stress , especially one of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium - job-related stress
e) - strain pressure the environment is under stress to the point of collapse Joseph Shoben
2.
- emphasis weight lay stress on a point
3.
archaic intense effort or exertion
4.
intensity of utterance given to a speech sound, syllable, or word producing relative loudness
5.
a) relative force or prominence of sound in verse
b) a syllable having relative force or prominence
6.
- accent
transitive verb
1.
to subject to physical or psychological stress - stressing the equipment this traffic is stressing me out
2.
to subject to phonetic stress - accent
3.
intransitive verb
to lay stress on - emphasize stressed the importance of teamwork to feel stress - stressing about the big exam often used with out
Merriam-Webster Online Thesaurus
stress (noun)1.
the burden on one's emotional or mental well-being created by demands on one's time
SYNONYMS:
pressure, strain, tensionRELATED WORDS:
load, weight; anxiety, concern, uneasiness, worry; aggravation, anger, annoyance, exasperation, irritation, persecution, troubleNEAR ANTONYMS:
comfort, consolation2.
a special notice or importance given to something
SYNONYMS:
accent, accentuation, stress, underscoring, weightRELATED WORDS:
attention, concentration, focus, spotlight; consequence, import, moment, note, significance, value, worth; precedence, primacy, priority, top billing; consideration, heed, regardNEAR ANTONYMS:
minimization, underemphasis; disregard, indifference1.
to experience concern or anxiety
SYNONYMS:
bother, fear, fret, fuss, stew, stress, sweat, troubleRELATED WORDS:
agonize; long, pine, yearn; chafe; despairNEAR ANTONYMS:
accept; abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate2.
to make more apparent
SYNONYMS:
accentuate, bring out, italicize, stress, underline, underscoreRELATED WORDS:
amplify, beef (up), boost, reinforce ( reenforce), strengthen; augment, deepen, enhance, enlarge, heighten, magnify, maximize, supplement; enliven, jazz (up)NEAR ANTONYMS:
decrease, diminish, lessen, minimize, reduce, subdue, tone (down), understate, weaken3.
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on
SYNONYMS:
accent, accentuate, feature, foreground, highlight, illuminate, play up, point (up), press, punctuate, stressRELATED WORDS:
focus, identify, pinpoint, spotlight; advertise, boost, plug, promote, publicize; overplayNEAR ANTONYMS:
tone (down), underemphasize, understate; belittle, discount, disparage, minimize