stew
1 of 3noun (1)
ˈstü 
ˈstyü
1
obsolete : a utensil used for boiling
2
: a hot bath
3
a
: brothel
b
: a district of brothels —usually used in plural
4
a
: fish or meat usually with vegetables prepared by stewing
b(1)
: a heterogeneous mixture
(2)
: a state of heat and congestion
5
: a state of excitement, worry, or confusion
stew
2 of 3verb
stewed; stewing; stews
transitive verb
: to boil slowly or with simmering heat
intransitive verb
1
: to become cooked by stewing
2
: to swelter especially from confinement in a hot or stuffy atmosphere
3
: to be in a state of suppressed agitation, worry, or resentment
stew
3 of 3noun (2)
: flight attendant
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- dither
- fluster
- fret
- fuss
- huff
- lather
- pother
- sweat
- swelter
- swivet
- tizzy
Verb
- boil
- coddle
- parboil
- poach
- simmer
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb The meat still needs to stew. a can of stewed tomatoes She's been stewing over what he said for days.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English stewe heated room for a steam bath, from Anglo-French estuve, from Vulgar Latin *extufa — more at stove
Noun (2)
short for stewardess
First Known Use
Noun (1)
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Noun (2)
1970, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing stew
Kids Definition
stew 1 of 2
noun
ˈstü
ˈstyü
1
: a dish of usually meat with vegetables prepared by slow boiling
2
: a state of excitement, worry, or confusion
He got in a stew over nothing.
stew
2 of 2verb
stewed; stewing
1
: to boil slowly : simmer
stew tomatoes
2
: to become excited or worried Don't stew over what they said.
stewing 1 of 2
adjective
as in fretting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- fretting
- fretful
- vexed
- misgiving
- foreboding
- apprehensive
- hesitant
- bothered
- distraught
- aggrieved
- disquieted
- disturbed
- flustered
- freaked
- preoccupied
- troubled
- worried
- distressed
- upset
- shook-up
- qualmish
- perturbed
- twittered
- undone
- concerned
- restless
- unstrung
- goosey
- freaked-out
- uptight
- anxious
- hung up
- qualmy
- unnerved
- queasy
- tense
- antsy
- insecure
- jittery
- unquiet
- dithery
- het up
- obsessed
- nervous
- aflutter
- atwitter
- jumpy
- queazy
- fidgety
- ill at ease
- hinky
- uneasy
- nervy
- edgy
- flighty
- fluttery
- high-strung
- hypertense
- skittish
- spooky
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- collected
- calm
- cool
- relaxed
- easy
- sure
- nerveless
- confident
- controlled
- happy-go-lucky
- self-assured
- self-confident
- self-controlled
stewing
2 of 2verb
1
as in boiling
to cook in a liquid heated to the point that it gives off steam stew the chicken till tender, and then remove the meat from the bones Synonyms & Similar Words
- boiling
- simmering
- poaching
- parboiling
- steaming
- coddling
- braising
- reboiling
- pressure-cooking
- scalding
- fricasseeing
- smothering
2
as in worrying
to experience concern or anxiety stop stewing over that game and just try to do better next time Synonyms & Similar Words
- worrying
- fretting
- sweating
- fearing
- stressing
- fussing
- bothering
- agonizing
- troubling
- pining
- longing
- yearning
- caring a hang
- giving a hang
- sweating blood
- despairing
- chafing
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- taking
- accepting
- tolerating
- enduring
- bearing
- stomaching
- sustaining
- abiding
- sticking out
- as black/dark as pitch
- as blind as a bat
- as bold as brass
- as boring as they come
- as busy as a bee
- as clear as a bell
- as clear as anything
- as clear as day
- as clear as day/daylight/anything
- as clear as daylight
- as clear as mud
- as clever as they come
- as cute as a button
- as daft as a brush
- as dark as pitch
- as dead as a dodo
- as dead as a doornail
- as deaf as a post
- as distinct from
- as distinguished from
- as drunk as a lord
- as drunk as a skunk
- as dry as a bone
- as dull as dishwater
- as dull as ditchwater