Meaning & use
unstressed
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Meanings
adjectivecomparabletechnical
Said of a syllable or word that is spoken with less force, length or volume than those around it.
Grammar: Usually placed before a noun or after be: an unstressed syllable, the vowel is unstressed.
Patterns
- unstressed syllable
- unstressed vowel
The second syllable of 'banana' is unstressed in the standard pronunciation, since the stress falls on the second vowel only in some words.
In 'teacher', the final syllable is unstressed and sounds like a schwa.
Words like 'of' and 'and' are usually unstressed in fast speech.
adjectiveafter a verbrare
Not feeling worried, strained or under pressure.
Grammar: Usually follows a linking verb: she seemed unstressed after the holiday.
Patterns
- feel unstressed
- seem unstressed
After a week at the beach, he felt completely unstressed.
The children seemed unstressed despite the noisy crowd.
A good night's sleep left her calm and unstressed before the test.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Not placed under physical force or strain, as a material or structure that is carrying no load.
Grammar: Used in engineering: an unstressed beam, an unstressed member.
Patterns
- unstressed beam
- unstressed state
The engineer measured the unstressed length of the spring first.
In its unstressed state, the rubber band was perfectly relaxed.
The unstressed part of the bridge carried almost no weight.
Common combinations
- unstressed syllable
- The unstressed syllable in 'doctor' is the last one.
- unstressed vowel
- An unstressed vowel is often pronounced as a schwa.
- unstressed word
- Short function words are normally unstressed words.
- unstressed position
- In an unstressed position the vowel becomes weaker.
- remain unstressed
- Prepositions usually remain unstressed in sentences.
Synonyms and how they differ
- weak
- Weak is the common phonetic term for forms like the schwa version of a word, while unstressed describes a position in a word.
- unaccented
- Unaccented is a close synonym in phonetics, though it can also mean lacking a regional accent, which unstressed never does.
- relaxed
- Relaxed fits the emotional meaning better, while unstressed is rare there.
- calm
- Calm is the usual everyday word for a person who is not anxious, but unstressed is a more clinical word.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: unstressed or destressed? unstressed or distressed?
unstressed vs destressed
Destressed is a casual term for having become relaxed; unstressed simply means without stress or emphasis, with no suggestion that it was reduced.
unstressed vs distressed
Distressed means upset or suffering, which is almost the opposite of unstressed in the emotional sense.
Practice
In the word 'about', the first syllable is ___ and is pronounced with a weak schwa.
Choose one answer.
The first syllable of 'about' receives no emphasis, so it is unstressed. Stressed and accented mean it is emphasized, and distressed means upset.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unstressed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.