demanding 1 of 2

adjective

di-ˈman-diŋ How to pronounce demanding (audio)
Definition of demandingnext
1
as in challenging
requiring much time, effort, or careful attention the demanding assignment kept them working all night long

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in exacting
hard to please will play before a demanding audience of music critics, who are not easily impressed

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3
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort the demanding task of reading and grading student compositions

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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

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2
as in needing
to have as a requirement a task that demands one's unremitting attention

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in asking
to set or receive as a price superstars of the big screen who demand millions for appearing in a movie

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of demanding
Adjective
Balancing the wants and needs of these more demanding users has been a challenge that BYOK founder Nick Sjolinder has been trying to figure out how to tackle. — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 29 Aug. 2026 Don’t Use Tap Water While many plants are fine with tapwater, a Venus flytrap is a little more demanding. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
Hey, make no mistake, Cristobal has his never-look-ahead blinders on, dialed into making this about a parade of 1-0 weeks and demanding his players think like that. — Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026 But McGarvey also captures the comic horror show of low-budget filmmaking in Britain at the time as one producer dips into his own pocket to pay off some bolshy background artists demanding extra to cover their expenses. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for demanding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demanding
  1. challenging
  2. exacting
  3. difficult
  4. requiring
  5. needing
  6. asking
  7. careful
  8. tough
Adjective
  • Eric Loucks, the director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown, pointed out that a person can have a challenging experience during meditation and still find their overall meditation practice to be beneficial.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
  • For something more hands-on, Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville has a challenging kart circuit where karts can reach 50 mph or more.
    — Chris Teague, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of challenging
Adjective
  • Every place on this list has been vetted and endorsed, again and again, by the world’s most exacting travelers.
    — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 23 July 2026
  • Loathe have always been committed to self-production (their 2017 debut is their only album that credits an outside co-producer), but A Stranger to You begs for more exacting supervision.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
Definition of exacting
Adjective
  • Being undefeated after a trio of difficult opening matches can only be seen as a positive, even if Newcastle’s obvious shortcomings require addressing if that run is to be prolonged.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Engineers need flight data on propulsion, aerodynamics, thermal management, guidance and other subsystems under conditions that are difficult to reproduce on the ground.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of difficult
Verb
  • The Federal Transit Administration says violent crimes requiring medical attention, or resulting in death, happened on MARTA nearly twice as often as the national average since October 2023.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Meta may end up subjecting its users, regardless of age, to age verification practices that may include requiring a government ID and biometric scans.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of requiring
Verb
  • When exposed to warmth, this shape-memory alloy contracts sharply, converting thermal energy directly into a powerful mechanical pulling force without needing an electric motor.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The organization has six locations throughout Indiana, with 179 people total still needing shelter.
    — Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of needing
Verb
  • Missouri is asking the Supreme Court to overturn the state Supreme Court’s blockage of a new congressional map ahead of the November general election.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
  • But asking whether the problem is useful is the wrong question, Verhoeff argues.
    — Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of asking
Adjective
  • Getting to that point required careful control of stress during fabrication.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Huntsinger, playing along with Variety’s should-win/will-win Emmy prediction game, drew a careful line.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • Space-grade electronics will cost more, and the ball’s shell—made from a material tough enough to roll over steel shards and withstand minus 184 °C temperatures—has never been evaluated in lunar extremes.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Democratic leaders face tough decisions on where to spend limited party resources to win the Senate majority.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of tough

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Cite this Entry

“Demanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demanding. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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