demanding

adjective

de·​mand·​ing di-ˈman-diŋ 

-ˈmän-, 

dē-

: requiring much time, effort, or attention : exacting

a demanding job

demanding customers

demandingly

di-ˈman-diŋ-lē 

-ˈmän-, 

dē-

adverb

demandingness noun

Synonyms of demanding

• challenging
• difficult

Examples of demanding in a Sentence

She had a demanding schedule with little free time.

Factory work can be physically demanding.

I have heard it is one of the most demanding courses at the university.

Their boss was really demanding, often expecting them to work long into the night.

Recent Examples on the Web

The company positions it as a daily-use model rather than one reserved only for the most demanding workloads. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026

Valdebebas sources describe Mourinho as demanding but approachable — someone who pushes players hard while remaining involved in every detail of training. — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Others, however, argued the salaries should be viewed alongside the demanding workload required to manage one of the country's busiest travel centers. — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026

Chung said demanding denuclearization at the outset had prevented talks at a time when formal inter-Korean dialogue had been suspended for seven years. — Reuters, NBC news, 23 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of demand entry 2

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for demanding

• commanding
• disbanding
• expanding
• freestanding
• misbranding
• outstanding
• remanding
• upstanding
• withstanding
• banding
• branding
• handing

Kids Definition

demanding

adjective

de·​mand·​ing

di-ˈman-diŋ

: making many or difficult demands : exacting

a demanding job

demandingly adverb