difficult to stress

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "difficult to stress" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing something that is challenging to emphasize or highlight, often in a context where clarity or importance is being conveyed. Example: "In this complex situation, it is difficult to stress the importance of communication among team members."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

It's difficult to stress just how opaque, how closed off, this system is.

The Guardian - Arts

In the field, it is extremely difficult to stress a rock mass to its ultimate failure stress.

Engineering Geology

It's been said already by several of you on this OBO, but it's difficult to stress just how badly he will be missed, both as a man and a cricket lover.

The Guardian - Sport

Katie Russell, a spokeswoman for Rape Crisis, condemned the comments, saying: "It is difficult to stress just how inappropriate and potentially damaging this morning's live trail from the presenter for his programme was".

Independent

It is difficult to stress this enough: Don't put someone in charge of their own team without training and supporting them as a manager.

Forbes

It's difficult to stress enough how big of a problem this is, and how companies are potentially doing irreperable damage to their reputation by not doing something that should be very easy to do, just by automating.

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

If you have a whiff of the obsessive about you, it can be difficult not to stress if your numbers start falling.

The Guardian - Books

However, it is difficult to categorically stress the importance of umaA1 in the virulence of the pathogen.

BMC Genomics

He told assembly members on Wednesday that his thoughts were with those affected by the recent deaths, and it was "difficult but important" to stress that the fatalities "must be seen in the context of an overall decline in deaths".

The Guardian

The higher miss rate in patients with longer cecal insertion times may thus be related to patient or colonic related factors, to endoscopists' fatigue from a difficult colonoscopy, or to stress from scheduling.

BMC Gastroenterology

Because it is very difficult to measure stresses during experiments, an indirect method was used.

International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "difficult to stress", ensure the context clearly indicates what you are finding challenging to emphasize. For instance, specify the aspect, point, or reason that is hard to stress for better clarity.

Common error

Avoid using "difficult to stress" without specifying what is difficult to emphasize. Ensure you provide enough context so the reader understands the importance of what you are trying to convey.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "difficult to stress" functions as a verb phrase, specifically an infinitive phrase. It indicates a challenge or obstacle in emphasizing a particular point or aspect. As Ludwig AI points out, this phrase is both grammatically correct and usable in written English. Examples from Ludwig show its use in conveying the importance or significance of something that is hard to adequately express.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "difficult to stress" is a grammatically sound and usable expression that conveys the challenge of adequately emphasizing a particular point. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and provides real-world examples demonstrating its usage across various contexts such as news, media, and science. While alternatives like "hard to emphasize" and "challenging to highlight" exist, "difficult to stress" maintains a unique nuance, highlighting the struggle to convey importance effectively. To use it best, clarity and context are key to ensure the reader understands precisely what is hard to emphasize. The phrase sees common use in both News & Media and Science, showing a broad application.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

hard to emphasize

Replaces "difficult" with "hard", a more common synonym, resulting in a slightly less formal tone.

challenging to highlight

Substitutes "stress" with "highlight", shifting the focus to visual prominence rather than importance.

tough to underscore

Uses "tough" and "underscore" offering a variation in word choice while maintaining the core meaning.

not easy to emphasize

Employs a negative construction to convey the difficulty of emphasizing something.

it's hard to overstate

Focuses on avoiding exaggeration rather than emphasizing a point effectively.

it's challenging to impress

Changes the focus to making something impressive, rather than emphasizing its importance.

difficult to communicate effectively

Broadens the scope to the overall challenge of effective communication, not just emphasis.

hard to convey the importance

Specifically mentions the importance, shifting the focus from the act of stressing to the significance of the information.

difficult to put enough emphasis

Rephrases the sentence to focus on "putting emphasis", changing the word order and sentence structure.

it's a challenge to bring to the forefront

Uses the term "bring to the forefront" to express the difficulty of calling attention to something.

FAQs

How can I use "difficult to stress" in a sentence?

You can use "difficult to stress" to highlight the challenge in emphasizing something. For example, "It is "difficult to stress" the importance of clear communication in this project."

What can I say instead of "difficult to stress"?

You can use alternatives like "hard to emphasize", "challenging to highlight", or "tough to underscore" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "difficult to stress"?

Yes, "difficult to stress" is grammatically correct and conveys that something is challenging to emphasize or highlight.

What's the difference between "difficult to stress" and "difficult to overstate"?

"Difficult to stress" implies a challenge in properly emphasizing something, while "difficult to overstate" suggests that it's hard to exaggerate the importance or impact of something. They address opposite sides of emphasis.