exacting

adjective

ex·​act·​ing ig-ˈzak-tiŋ 

1

: tryingly or unremittingly severe in making demands

2

: requiring careful attention and precision

exactingly

ig-ˈzak-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

exactingness noun

Synonyms of exacting

• careful
• demanding
• particular
• finicky
• nice
• meticulous
• fastidious
• picky
• delicate
• finical
• persnickety
• pernickety
• fussy
• dainty
• selective
• choosy
• finicking

Choose the Right Synonym for exacting

onerous, burdensome, oppressive, exacting mean imposing hardship.

onerous stresses being laborious and heavy especially because distasteful.

the onerous task of cleaning up the mess

burdensome suggests causing mental as well as physical strain.

burdensome responsibilities

oppressive implies extreme harshness or severity in what is imposed.

the oppressive tyranny of a police state

exacting implies rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made or in the one demanding.

an exacting employer

Examples of exacting in a Sentence

He has very exacting standards.

he was shocked when his normally exacting supervisor complimented him on a job well done

Recent Examples on the Web

Touching on his reputation as an exacting, demanding, sometimes even difficult director to work with, Cameron offered rare comments about a joke made at an awards show that still stings over a decade later. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025

The exacting, obsessive thoroughness with which Cameron has imagined this world is not an end in itself, however. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025

Their work is quiet, exacting, and system-driven, instinctive by way of engineering. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 21 Nov. 2025

Far more exacting and trying was Zaslavski’s state-of-the-art recording studio, which supplanted the entire 5,000-plus-square-foot finished basement. —Kathryn Romeyn, Architectural Digest, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of exact entry 1

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for exacting

• abstracting
• attracting
• coacting
• compacting
• contacting
• detracting
• distracting
• enacting
• extracting
• impacting
• reacting
• refracting

Kids Definition

exacting

adjective

ex·​act·​ing ig-ˈzak-tiŋ 

: making many or difficult demands upon a person

an exacting task

an exacting teacher

exactingly

-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

exactingness noun