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Stress vs Duress - What's the difference?

stress | duress |

As nouns the difference between stress and duress

is that stress is 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 σ while duress is harsh treatment.

As verbs the difference between stress and duress

is that stress is to apply force to (a body or structure) causing strain while duress is to put under duress; to pressure.

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

    Related terms

    * strain * strait * strict * stringent * stringency ----

    duress

    English

    Noun

    (-)
  • (obsolete) Harsh treatment.
  • * Burke
    • The agreements made with the landlords during the time of slavery, are only the effect of duress and force.
  • Constraint by threat.
  • (legal) The state of compulsion or necessity in which a person is influenced, whether by the unlawful restraint of his liberty or by actual or threatened physical violence, to incur a civil liability or to commit an offence.

    • Verb

    (es)
  • To put under ; to pressure.
    • Someone was duressing her.
    The small nation was duressed into giving up territory.

    Anagrams

    *