stressed
stressed — verb
1. the form of the verb 'stress' used to talk about something that happened in the
the form of the verb 'stress' used to talk about something that happened in the past, or to describe something that has already been completed — for example, when someone gave emphasis to an idea, pronounced a syllable with extra force, or caused someone to feel worried.
The manager stressed that all reports must be submitted by Friday afternoon.
past tense + that-clause for emphasis
Jiwoo stressed the first syllable of the word when she read it aloud.
past tense for pronunciation emphasis
Gabriel has always stressed the importance of arriving early to every meeting.
The engineers stressed the metal frame until cracks began to appear across the surface.
- emphasized
more formal; used for highlighting importance rather than pronunciation
- highlighted
focuses on drawing attention, not necessarily with urgency
- accented
specifically for pronunciation or musical emphasis
文法句型
stressed + that-clause
stressed + noun phrase
be stressed (passive construction with meaning 'caused worry')
用法筆記
The verb form 'stressed' covers all meanings of the base verb 'stress', including emphasizing an idea ('He stressed the need for honesty'), pronouncing a syllable with more force ('She stressed the second syllable'), and causing worry ('The long hours stressed everyone out'). Context determines which meaning is intended.
常見錯誤
stressed — adjective
1. feeling worried, nervous, or unable to relax because of too much pressure or too
feeling worried, nervous, or unable to relax because of too much pressure or too many demands — for example, a student before exams, a parent with young children, or a worker facing a tight deadline.
Élise felt stressed about her final exams and could not sleep well for three nights.
stressed about + [situation]
The stressed nurses worked double shifts during the busy holiday season at the hospital.
attributive: stressed + [noun]
Padma gets stressed whenever she has to speak in front of a large audience.
Christopher looked stressed and exhausted after the three-hour meeting with clients.
Hassan was too stressed by the deadline to enjoy his lunch or take a break.
- anxious
more general; anxious can describe worry without a clear external cause
- tense
suggests muscles are tight and the person is on edge
- overwhelmed
stronger; means the pressure has become too much to handle
文法句型
feel / get / become / look stressed
stressed about [something]
stressed by [someone or something]
stressed out
用法筆記
Commonly paired with 'out' for emphasis: 'stressed out' means very stressed, almost unable to cope. The 'out' adds a sense of being completely overwhelmed. 'Stressed' can also be used attributively (before a noun) as in 'stressed parents' or 'a stressed workforce', though the predicative position ('The parents feel stressed') is more frequent.
常見錯誤
2. said with more force than other syllables or words in speech, so that it sounds
said with more force than other syllables or words in speech, so that it sounds louder and clearer to the listener — for example, the first syllable of 'baby' or the second syllable of 'hotel'.
In the word 'photograph', the first syllable is stressed and the rest are not.
stressed syllable identification
Meera marked the stressed syllables on her worksheet with a small dot above each one.
marking stressed syllables as a learning task
A stressed vowel sounds longer and louder than an unstressed vowel in English speech.
Sirin listened carefully to find which part of the word carried the stressed sound.
- accented
more general; can also refer to musical or diacritic emphasis
- emphasized
broader; includes non-phonetic emphasis such as rhetorical stress
- prominent
describes the perception of being more noticeable in speech
- unstressed
the direct opposite in phonetic contexts
- weak
describes a vowel or syllable that receives little or no emphasis
文法句型
stressed syllable / vowel / position
[syllable] is stressed
stressed or unstressed
用法筆記
Primarily used in linguistics and language-learning contexts. The opposite term is 'unstressed'. In English, content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives) typically have at least one stressed syllable, while function words (prepositions, articles) are often unstressed in connected speech.