Stress
/ʃtʁɛs/masculine
The German word for 'stress' is Stress.
Stress refers to emotional pressure. While it is a loanword from English, it is widely used and commonly understood in formal situations.
Meaning: emotional pressure (noun)
Which one should you use?
Depending on the context, other words may be more precise. Belastung emphasizes the idea of a burden or strain caused by stress, while Anspannung is translated as tension and implies the mental or emotional state associated with stress. You might also use Ärger, which primarily means 'annoyance' or 'anger' but can also refer to the stress felt due to challenging circumstances.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As a noun, Stress is always capitalized in German. To express that someone is 'under stress', Germans typically use the prepositional phrase im Stress (literally: in the stress).
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃtʁɛs/
Did you know?
- In colloquial German, the word Stress can describe a verbal argument or a fight, such as when someone says they have Stress with their boss.
- Germans distinguish between Stress and Hektik, where Hektik specifically refers to the frantic physical rush of trying to do too many things at once.
- While Stress is a modern loanword, the German language has much older, more formal words like Bedrängnis to describe being under intense, suffocating pressure.
Examples in context
- Stress bringt einen um.Stress is a killer.This sentence uses Stress to show how it can be described as something harmful.Tatoeba #5099215 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #5099124 by ddnktr
- Ich bin immer im Stress.I'm always under stress.This sentence uses the idiomatic phrase im Stress to say someone is under stress.Tatoeba #12182426 by mhr, translation #66121 by CM
- Wie gehst du mit Stress um?How do you handle stress?This sentence uses Stress to ask about coping mechanisms.Tatoeba #1688216 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1553494 by CK
- Die hohe Arbeitsbelastung verursacht bei vielen Angestellten großen Stress.The high workload causes significant stress for many employees.
- De Drugg het mi total fest im Griff.The stress has a tight grip on me.
- 44 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Julia are talking at the office.
- FelixHast du heute viel Stress, Julia?Do you have a lot of stress today, Julia?
- JuliaJa, ich habe viel zu tun.Yes, I have a lot to do.
- FelixDu musst weniger Stress haben.You need to have less stress.
- JuliaDas ist leider nicht so einfach.Unfortunately, that is not so simple.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stress” translations and entries Stress, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
