stressor

English

Etymology

From stress +‎ -or.

Pronunciation

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Noun

stressor (plural stressors)

1. (psychology, biology) An environmental condition or influence that stresses (i.e. causes stress for) an organism.
   • 1997, Edward M. Hallowell, When You Worry About the Child You Love, page 162:

     These children are constitutionally sad. Other children, like Luke, develop depressive feelings out of the blue or in response to some mild stressor.

   • 2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin, published 2012, page 670:

     These paradoxical pleasures […] are acquired by controlling one's exposure to the stressor in gradually increasing doses.

   • 2023 May 1, Reem Kassis, “What Home Cooking Does That Restaurants Can’t”, in The Atlantic‎^[1]:

     Plenty of people see hosting a large group as a stressor.

Derived terms

• technostressor

Anagrams

• trossers