stress

/strɛs/
noun
  1. A state of mental or emotional worry or tension caused by difficult situations.
    • Job stress can affect your physical health.
    • She feels a lot of stress before exams.
    • Yoga and meditation can help reduce stress.
  2. Special importance or emphasis given to something.
    • The company places great stress on customer service.
    • In his speech, he laid stress on the need for teamwork.
    • The teacher put a lot of stress on the importance of reading.
  3. Physical pressure or force applied to an object or material.
    • Too much stress on the cable caused it to snap.
    • Engineers test how much stress a material can take before breaking.
    • The bridge was designed to handle the stress of heavy traffic.
  4. The emphasis placed on a particular syllable or word when speaking.
    • Putting stress on the wrong syllable can change the meaning of a word.
    • English learners often struggle with word stress patterns.
    • In the word 'record,' the stress falls on the first syllable when it is a noun.
Antonyms
verb
  1. To give special importance or emphasis to something.
    • She stressed the need for honesty in the report.
    • The coach stressed the importance of practice.
    • I want to stress that everyone must follow the safety rules.
  2. To cause someone to feel worried or tense.
    • Don't stress about the small things.
    • He was stressed by the pressure to succeed.
    • The constant deadlines stress me out.
  3. To pronounce a syllable or word with more force.
    • She stressed the word 'never' to show she meant it.
    • In English, we usually stress the first syllable of two-syllable nouns.
    • You should stress the second syllable in the word 'hotel.'
  4. To put physical pressure or force on something.
    • Repeated bending will stress the metal and cause cracks.
    • Lifting heavy weights can stress your muscles.
    • The earthquake stressed the building's foundation.