demanding
Americanadjective
-
requiring or claiming more than is generally felt by others to be due.
a demanding teacher.
-
calling for intensive effort or attention; taxing.
a demanding job.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- demandingly adverb
- nondemanding adjective
- overdemanding adjective
- overdemandingly adverb
- quasi-demanding adjective
- quasi-demandingly adverb
- undemanding adjective
Etymology
Origin of demanding
Explanation
Something that's demanding calls for more work or skill than the typical task. Babysitting might seem like an easy job, but depending on the kids it can actually be incredibly demanding. A demanding job might require a lot of physical work, like farming, or a lot of patience and diplomacy, like being a teacher or a marriage counselor. When a person is described as demanding, it usually means that he or she has very high standards or is especially hard to satisfy. The word comes from the Old French demander, "to request or demand," by way of the Latin demandare, "entrust."
Vocabulary lists containing demanding
Prince (1958-2016) Tribute List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Buyers of private-equity assets on the secondary market have been demanding larger and larger discounts to funds’ NAVs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
Improving energy efficiency is especially important as artificial intelligence systems grow more demanding.
From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026
Following Villegas’ arrest on Thursday, Tolchin filed a habeas petition in federal court, challenging his incarceration and demanding his immediate release.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
Several Republican and Democratic congressional staffers I spoke with tell me their telephone calls from constituents demanding Congress take action against Trump are becoming more frequent.
From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026
In mid-July, one hundred thousand irate Soviet citizens, inflamed by the government-controlled press, besieged the American embassy on Tchaikovsky Street, demanding that the United States withdraw its troops from Lebanon.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
