Synonyms of demanding

demanding 1 of 2

adjective

di-ˈman-diŋ 

1

as in challenging

requiring much time, effort, or careful attention

the demanding assignment kept them working all night long

Synonyms & Similar Words

• challenging
• difficult
• tough
• burdensome
• exacting
• onerous
• arduous
• hard
• laborious
• killing
• taxing
• grueling
• toilsome
• strenuous
• formidable
• persnickety
• testing
• rigorous
• oppressive
• trying
• stringent
• strict
• stiff
• rugged
• severe
• stern
• rough
• herculean
• rigid

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undemanding
• light
• easy
• nondemanding
• simple
• unchallenging
• smooth
• effortless
• facile

2

as in exacting

hard to please

will play before a demanding audience of music critics, who are not easily impressed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exacting
• careful
• nice
• particular
• finicky
• picky
• fussy
• delicate
• choosy
• selective
• fastidious
• persnickety
• pernickety
• finical
• dainty
• meticulous
• finicking
• fussbudgety
• critical
• old-maidish
• discriminating
• discerning
• painstaking
• overdemanding
• scrupulous
• insightful
• knowledgeable
• punctilious
• hypercritical
• faultfinding
• petulant
• captious
• peevish
• touchy
• overcritical
• squeamish
• ultrafastidious
• prissy
• queasy
• hyperfastidious
• carping
• prickly
• prim
• caviling
• niminy-piminy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undemanding
• flexible
• low-pressure
• carefree
• lackadaisical
• relaxed
• loose
• affable
• lax
• lenient
• breezy
• permissive
• unfussy
• unfastidious
• uncritical
• laid-back
• devil-may-care
• happy-go-lucky
• undiscriminating
• indiscriminating

3

as in difficult

requiring considerable physical or mental effort

the demanding task of reading and grading student compositions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• challenging
• difficult
• tough
• rigorous
• hard
• formidable
• complicated
• heavy
• effortful
• exacting
• rugged
• strenuous
• sweaty
• rough
• severe
• arduous
• exhausting
• testing
• tall
• murderous
• backbreaking
• grueling
• intricate
• laborious
• complex
• painful
• uphill
• killer
• stiff
• herculean
• serious
• toilsome
• problematic
• pick-and-shovel
• annoying
• elusive
• involved
• moiling
• hellacious
• burdensome
• oppressive
• stubborn
• trying
• onerous
• brutal
• strict
• stressful
• Augean
• tricky
• abstract
• troublesome
• tight
• stringent
• bruising
• grim
• thorny
• insoluble
• abstruse
• hairy
• taxing
• labored
• vexatious
• irksome
• knotty
• opaque
• bothersome
• distressing
• ticklish
• recondite
• cruel
• spiny
• inhuman
• grievous

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• simple
• light
• undemanding
• soft
• effortless
• cheap
• clear
• mindless
• elementary
• facile
• manageable
• achievable
• uncomplicated
• doable
• gentle
• smooth
• comforting
• soothing
• relaxed
• accessible
• painless
• friendly
• user-friendly
• idiotproof

demanding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of demand

1

as in requiring

to ask for (something) earnestly or with authority

the losing party demanded a recount of the votes cast in the election

Synonyms & Similar Words

• requiring
• requesting
• commanding
• claiming
• asking
• wanting
• exacting
• needing
• enjoining
• calling (for)
• pressing (for)
• insisting (on)
• clamoring (for)
• taking
• necessitating
• imposing
• stipulating (for)
• questing
• warranting
• harassing
• pleading (for)
• crying (for)
• requisitioning
• hounding
• badgering
• dunning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• yielding
• giving up
• surrendering
• relinquishing

2

as in needing

to have as a requirement

a task that demands one's unremitting attention

Synonyms & Similar Words

• requiring
• needing
• taking
• wanting
• challenging
• involving
• necessitating
• claiming
• warranting
• calling for
• asking
• begging
• bearing
• entailing
• insisting
• lacking
• crying (for)
• commanding
• exacting
• enjoining
• pressing
• hurting (for)
• clamoring (for)
• stipulating
• questing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• having
• holding
• possessing
• owning

3

as in asking

to set or receive as a price

superstars of the big screen who demand millions for appearing in a movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

• asking
• charging
• commanding
• bringing
• fetching
• selling (for)
• pricing
• overcharging
• discounting
• assessing
• valuing
• undercharging
• billing
• marking up
• marking down
• invoicing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of demanding

Adjective

Those working in physically demanding jobs or those exposed to heat, like construction and agriculture, reduced their hours by more than those working in low-exposure and physically undemanding jobs such as office workers. — Simmone Shah, Time, 22 July 2026

In a culture obsessed with shortcuts and overnight success, Hawk offers a more demanding—and ultimately more hopeful—alternative. — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Verb

They are expected to become wiser but not louder, visible but not vain, accomplished but not demanding, and well-preserved but not provocative. — Debbie Millman, Time, 25 July 2026

Cindi May, a psychology professor at the College of Charleston, told SELF that the brain does its best work during your on-period, particularly for demanding tasks like analytic thinking, sustained attention and filtering distractions. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 22 July 2026