What does stressor mean?
A stressor is anything that produces stress or strain: a demanding deadline, financial uncertainty, another person's behaviour, heat, noise, or another demanding condition. The word is especially common in psychology, health, education, and workplace discussions, where researchers and professionals identify the factors that make people feel pressured or overwhelmed. A stressor should be distinguished from stress itself. The stressor is the external person, event, or condition creating difficulty, while stress is the pressure or response a person experiences. The term is also used in biology to describe an environmental agent, such as drought, extreme temperature, or toxins, that causes a physiological stress response. Using “stressor” is therefore useful when attention should focus on the source of pressure and on the conditions that can be addressed or reduced.
nounA person, event, condition, or other factor that causes stress or strain. In biology and psychology, the term refers particularly to something that prompts a stress response.
- A person, event, condition, or other factor that causes psychological stress, physical strain, or both.
- In biology, an external condition or agent that prompts a stress response in an organism.
"Noise from the construction site was a persistent stressor for the residents."
"An uncertain income can be a major stressor for families in lower-income brackets."
"The scientists exposed the plants to drought as an environmental stressor."
The usual plural form; it is used for multiple people, events, conditions, or other factors that cause stress.
"Managers can reduce workplace stressors by improving staffing and scheduling."
A stressor is the trigger; stress is the reaction.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stressor come from?
Stressor was formed in English by adding the suffix -or, meaning a person or thing that performs an action, to stress. The word stress ultimately derives from Latin stringere, “to draw tight” or “press closely,” which is also the ultimate root of words such as distress, express, compress, and suppress. The modern sense developed alongside the use of stress for psychological pressure, physical strain, and physiological responses to demanding conditions.
How stressor is actually used
Stressor is a countable noun and is commonly used in discussions of psychology, health, education, and the workplace. It names the source of stress rather than the stress itself.
Easily confused with stressor
A stressor is the person, event, or condition that causes stress, whereas stress is the pressure, tension, or physiological response experienced as a result.