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Stress vs Difficulty - What's the difference?

stress | difficulty | Related terms |

Stress is a related term of difficulty.


As nouns the difference between stress and difficulty

is that stress is stress (emotional pressure) while difficulty is the state of being difficult, or hard to do.

stress

English

Noun

  • (countable, physics) The internal distribution of force per unit area (pressure) within a body reacting to applied forces which causes strain or deformation and is typically symbolised by
  • (countable, physics) externally applied to a body which cause internal stress within the body.
  • (uncountable) Emotional pressure suffered by a human being or other animal.
  • Go easy on him, he's been under a lot of stress lately.
  • (uncountable, phonetics) The emphasis placed on a syllable of a word.
  • Some people put the stress on the first syllable of “controversy”; others put it on the second.
  • (uncountable) Emphasis placed on words in speaking.
  • (uncountable) Emphasis placed on a particular point in an argument or discussion (whether spoken or written).
  • (Spenser)
  • (Scotland, legal) distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained.
  • Synonyms

    * (phonetics) accent, emphasis * (on words in speaking) emphasis * (on a point) emphasis

    Verb

  • To apply force to (a body or structure) causing strain.
  • To apply emotional pressure to (a person or animal).
  • (informal) To suffer stress; to worry or be agitated.
  • To emphasise (a syllable of a word).
  • “Emphasis” is stressed on the first syllable, but “emphatic” is stressed on the second.
  • To emphasise (words in speaking).
  • To emphasise (a point) in an argument or discussion.
  • I must stress that this information is given in strict confidence.

    Synonyms

    * (phonetics) emphasise/emphasize * (on words in speaking) emphasise/emphasize * (on a point) emphasise/emphasize, underline

    Derived terms

    * stressed * stress out

    References

    difficulty

    Noun

    (difficulties)
  • The state of being difficult, or hard to do.
  • An obstacle that hinders achievement of a goal.
  • We faced a difficulty .

    Derived terms

    * difficulty level * with difficulty