Stress vs. Highlight — What's the Difference?
By Urooj Arif & Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 24, 2024
Stress emphasizes importance or urgency, while highlighting involves marking or illuminating for attention.
Difference Between Stress and Highlight
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Stress refers to placing emphasis on a particular point or idea to signify its importance or to indicate urgency. It's often used in speech or writing to draw attention to key concepts. Highlighting, on the other hand, involves marking text or parts of an image to make them stand out for easy identification and reference. This can be done with visual markers like fluorescent markers or digitally in documents.
While stress is an abstract concept that can be applied through tone of voice, word choice, or syntax in language, highlighting is a physical or digital action. Stressing something does not necessarily alter its visual appearance, whereas highlighting directly changes how a piece of information is visually perceived.
Stressing information can be subjective and vary depending on the speaker's or writer's perspective on what is important. Highlighting, however, is a more objective action, where the intention is to make certain information visually distinct, regardless of the personal importance placed on it by the highlighter.
In communication, stress serves to convey the speaker or writer's attitude towards the information, such as urgency or importance. Highlighting, while it does draw attention, does not convey an attitude but rather serves a practical function of making information easier to locate and refer back to.
The effectiveness of stress in communication can depend on the audience's ability to perceive and interpret the emphasis placed by the speaker or writer. Highlighting's effectiveness, however, is more universally understood due to its visual nature, making it immediately apparent that the highlighted information is of note.
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Comparison Chart
Nature
Abstract, emphasizing importance or urgency
Physical or digital, marking for attention
Application
Through tone, word choice, syntax
Using markers, digitally in documents
Perception
Subjective, depends on interpretation
Objective, visually distinct
Communication Function
Conveys urgency or importance
Makes information easy to locate
Effectiveness
Depends on audience's interpretation
Universally understood due to visual nature
Compare with Definitions
Stress
Indicate something as a priority.
She stressed the benefits of regular exercise in her presentation.
Highlight
Make aspects more noticeable.
The review highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the product.
Stress
Make an assertion more forceful.
The CEO stressed the company’s commitment to sustainability.
Highlight
Illuminate or make information more visible.
The presentation highlighted the latest market trends.
Stress
Apply pressure or attention to a specific point.
The report stressed the need for immediate action.
Highlight
Draw attention to something for emphasis.
The article highlighted the achievements of the team.
Stress
Enhance the significance of an aspect.
He stressed the uniqueness of the proposal to gain support.
Highlight
Mark text or parts of an image to stand out.
I highlighted the key points in the document for quick reference.
Stress
Pressure or tension exerted on a material object
The distribution of stress is uniform across the bar
Highlight
An area or a spot in a drawing, painting, or photograph that is strongly illuminated.
Stress
A state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances
He's obviously under a lot of stress
Stress-related illnesses
Highlight
An especially significant or interesting detail or event.
Stress
Physiological disturbance or damage caused to an organism by adverse circumstances
In many areas irrigation is warranted to avoid plant stress
Highlight
Highlights Strands of hair that have been lightened, as by bleaching or coloring.
Stress
Particular emphasis or importance
He has started to lay greater stress on the government's role in industry
Highlight
To give a highlight to (the subject of a painting, for example).
Stress
Give particular emphasis or importance to (a point, statement, or idea) made in speech or writing
They stressed the need for reform
‘I want it done very, very neatly,’ she stressed
She was anxious to stress that her daughter's safety was her only concern
Highlight
To make prominent; emphasize
The article highlighted the painstaking work of the detectives.
Stress
Subject to pressure or tension
This type of workout does stress the shoulder and knee joints
Highlight
To be a highlight of
The duet highlighted the concert.
Stress
Cause mental or emotional strain or tension in
I avoid many of the things that used to stress me before
Highlight
To mark (important passages of text) with a usually fluorescent marker as a means of memory retention or for later reference.
Stress
Importance, significance, or emphasis placed on something.
Highlight
To lighten (strands of hair), as by bleaching or coloring.
Stress
The relative force with which a sound or syllable is spoken.
Highlight
An area or a spot in a drawing, painting, or photograph that is strongly illuminated.
Stress
The emphasis placed on the sound or syllable spoken most forcefully in a word or phrase.
Highlight
(figurative) An especially significant or interesting detail or event or period of time.
Meeting my future wife was the highlight of my trip to Spain.
We'll be broadcasting the news highlights every half an hour.
Stress
The relative force of sound or emphasis given a syllable or word in accordance with a metrical pattern.
Highlight
(cosmetology) A strand or spot of hair dyed a different color than the rest.
Stress
A syllable having strong relative emphasis in a metrical pattern.
Highlight
(transitive) To make prominent; emphasize.
Stress
An accent or mark representing such emphasis or force.
Highlight
(transitive) To be a highlight of.
Stress
The internal distribution of force per unit area within a body subject to an applied force or system of forces.
Highlight
(transitive) To mark (important passages of text), e.g. with a fluorescent marker pen or in a wordprocessor, as a means of memory retention or for later reference.
Stress
The internal resistance of a body to such an applied force or system of forces.
Highlight
(transitive) To dye (part of the hair) a different color than the rest.
Stress
A condition of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain
"He presided over the economy during the period of its greatest stress and danger" (Robert J. Samuelson).
Highlight
To seek the attention of (a user) on IRC by mentioning their name in a message, causing that message to appear highlighted on their screen.
Stress
A stimulus or circumstance causing such a condition
Couldn't stand the stresses of the job and quit.
Highlight
To emphasize or call attention to, by moving into the foreground or otherwise making more prominent.
Stress
To place emphasis on
Stressed basic fire safety in her talk.
Highlight
To make (part of a text or image) more prominent, especially by making it of a lighter hue or of a different color than the remaining part.
Stress
To give prominence of sound to (a syllable or word) in pronouncing or in accordance with a metrical pattern.
Highlight
The part of an image that has the most intense light.
Stress
To subject to mechanical pressure or force.
Highlight
The most memorable or enjoyable part; - of events or activities; as, the highlight of our trip was the tour of the Vatican.
Stress
To undergo physiological or mental stress, as from working too much. Often used with out.
Highlight
The most interesting or memorable part;
The highlight of the tour was our visit to the Vatican
Stress
(biology) A physical, chemical, infective agent aggressing an organism.
Highlight
An area of lightness in a picture
Stress
(biology) Aggression toward an organism resulting in a response in an attempt to restore previous conditions.
Highlight
Move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent;
The introduction highlighted the speaker's distinguished career in linguistics
Stress
The internal distribution of force across a small boundary per unit area of that boundary (pressure) within a body. It causes strain or deformation and is typically symbolised by σ or τ.
Stress
Force externally applied to a body which cause internal stress within the body.
Stress
(uncountable) Emotional pressure suffered by a human being or other animal.
Go easy on him, he's been under a lot of stress lately.
Stress
A suprasegmental feature of a language having additional attention raised to a sound, word or word group by means of of loudness, duration or pitch; phonological prominence.
Some people put the stress on the first syllable of “controversy”; others put it on the second.
Stress
The suprasegmental feature of a language having additional attention raised to a sound by means of of loudness and/or duration; phonological prominence phonetically achieved by means of dynamics as distinct from pitch.
Stress
(uncountable) Emphasis placed on a particular point in an argument or discussion (whether spoken or written).
Stress
Obsolete form of distress
Stress
Distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained.
Stress
(transitive) To apply force to (a body or structure) causing strain.
Stress
(transitive) To apply emotional pressure to (a person or animal).
Stress
To suffer stress; to worry or be agitated.
Stress
(transitive) To emphasise (a syllable of a word).
“Emphasis” is stressed on the first syllable, but “emphatic” is stressed on the second.
Stress
(transitive) To emphasise (words in speaking).
Stress
(transitive) To emphasise (a point) in an argument or discussion.
I must stress that this information is given in strict confidence.
Stress
Distress.
Sad hersal of his heavy stress.
Stress
Pressure, strain; - used chiefly of immaterial things; except in mechanics; hence, urgency; importance; weight; significance.
The faculties of the mind are improved by exercise, yet they must not be put to a stress beyond their strength.
A body may as well lay too little as too much stress upon a dream.
Stress
The force, or combination of forces, which produces a strain; force exerted in any direction or manner between contiguous bodies, or parts of bodies, and taking specific names according to its direction, or mode of action, as thrust or pressure, pull or tension, shear or tangential stress.
Stress is the mutual action between portions of matter.
Stress
Force of utterance expended upon words or syllables. Stress is in English the chief element in accent and is one of the most important in emphasis. See Guide to pronunciation, 31-35.
Stress
Distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained.
Stress
To press; to urge; to distress; to put to difficulties.
Stress
To subject to stress, pressure, or strain.
Stress
To subject to phonetic stress; to accent.
Stress
To place emphasis on; to make emphatic; emphasize.
Stress
The relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch);
He put the stress on the wrong syllable
Stress
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense;
He suffered from fatigue and emotional tension
Stress is a vasoconstrictor
Stress
(physics) force that produces strain on a physical body;
The intensity of stress is expressed in units of force divided by units of area
Stress
Special emphasis attached to something;
The stress was more on accuracy than on speed
Stress
Difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension;
She endured the stresses and strains of life
He presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger
Stress
To stress, single out as important;
Dr. Jones emphasizes exercise in addition to a change in diet
Stress
Put stress on; utter with an accent;
In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word
Stress
Test the limits of;
You are trying my patience!
Common Curiosities
What does it mean to stress something?
To stress something means to emphasize its importance or urgency, often to ensure it is noticed or prioritized.
What does highlighting involve?
Highlighting involves marking text or elements of an image to make them stand out visually for easy identification or reference.
Is stressing information subjective?
Yes, stressing information is subjective and depends on the speaker’s or writer’s view of what is important.
How does stress affect communication?
Stress affects communication by conveying the speaker’s or writer’s attitude towards the information, such as its urgency or importance.
Can both stress and highlighting be used together?
Yes, in written communication, stressing an idea through word choice and then highlighting it visually can reinforce its importance.
What tools are commonly used for highlighting?
Common tools for highlighting include fluorescent markers for physical documents and digital highlighting features in software applications.
How do stress and highlighting differ in application?
Stress is applied through language and tone to emphasize importance, while highlighting is a visual action to mark information.
What is the practical function of highlighting?
The practical function of highlighting is to make information easier to locate and refer back to in a text or document.
Does highlighting always imply importance?
While highlighting often implies importance, its primary goal is to make information stand out visually for easier access.
Why is highlighting considered objective?
Highlighting is considered objective because it makes information visually distinct, clearly indicating it is of note, regardless of personal perspectives.
Is stress always apparent in written text?
In written text, stress can be less apparent without tone or vocal cues, but can be indicated through formatting, punctuation, or word choice.
Can stress change the perception of information?
Yes, stress can change the perception of information by signaling its importance or urgency to the audience.
How is the effectiveness of highlighting determined?
The effectiveness of highlighting is determined by its ability to make information immediately apparent and easy to refer to, which is generally well-understood across audiences.
Can the use of highlighting improve learning or retention?
Yes, the use of highlighting can improve learning or retention by making key information visually distinct and easier to recall.
How do cultural perceptions affect the use of stress in communication?
Cultural perceptions can affect the interpretation of stress in communication, as norms for emphasizing information can vary widely.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
