demanding

1 of 2

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

demanding

2 of 2

present participle of demand entry 2

Synonyms of demanding

Adjective

• challenging
• difficult

Examples of demanding in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

The rookie offered power at the plate and athletic defense in the field, immediately giving fans another reason to believe the organization's top prospect could become a long-term answer at one of the game's most demanding positions. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

That makes both the X-ray measurement itself and the interpretation of its data increasingly demanding. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026

According to the lawsuit, both men filed EEOC charges against APS in September 2025, alleging that they were held to a more demanding standard than another JROTC instructor, who is a woman. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026

DeWitt’s narrator is a teenage girl whose demanding mother insists on proper upper-class behavior, befitting a young, wealthy Englishwoman. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of demand entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

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