1
as in careful
hard to please
he was shocked when his normally exacting supervisor complimented him on a job well done
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rigorous
not allowing for any exceptions or loosening of standards
the prep school's exacting standards for admission
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
the new recruits had to adjust themselves to the exacting discipline of military life
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4
as in challenging
requiring much time, effort, or careful attention
writing will always be an exacting task
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in demanding
to ask for (something) earnestly or with authority
every war inevitably exacts the greatest sacrifice possible from some of the nation's best and brightest
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imposing
to establish or apply as a charge or penalty
vowed to exact a heavy fine from any hockey player engaging in such outrageous behavior on the ice
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in extorting
to get (as money) by the use of force or threats
that loan shark can be counted upon to exact repayment of his loan by whatever means necessary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of exacting
Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
These methods, while less exacting, are also woefully undemocratic, allowing lawmakers to act independently from and against the interests of the American public.
—Big Think, 10 Oct. 2025
Alberto Dainotti, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
So there’s 236 four-colour pages detailing the exacting nature of every aspect of the creation of this bike (and its nine siblings) plus the provenance of Hailwood’s unbeaten Grand Prix adventures on the original, not to mention its pivotal place in Honda folklore.
—Mike Hanlon
january 16, New Atlas, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exacting
Adjective
Comparable in size to the Arc de Triomphe, the Porte Monumentale also contained surface ornamentation based on Haeckel’s exacting lifelong documentation of organisms to be found in the world’s oceans.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
These methods, while less exacting, are also woefully undemocratic, allowing lawmakers to act independently from and against the interests of the American public.
—Big Think, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
To suppress the nationwide mobilization without exacting a high cost, the Iranian regime implemented nightly shutdowns affecting only mobile networks.
—Alberto Dainotti, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
So there’s 236 four-colour pages detailing the exacting nature of every aspect of the creation of this bike (and its nine siblings) plus the provenance of Hailwood’s unbeaten Grand Prix adventures on the original, not to mention its pivotal place in Honda folklore.
—Mike Hanlon
january 16, New Atlas, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exacting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacting
Adjective
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Leeds are right on the limit of their profitability and sustainability (PSR) projections, but with some careful rebalancing of the finances, this could be a swing worth taking.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Dozens of asylum seekers like her, as well as refugees who passed a rigorous, years-long vetting process before being admitted to the United States, have been arrested in Minnesota in recent weeks, immigration lawyers and advocates say.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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Every small business article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of business products.—
Jasmin Suknanan,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Business leaders, of course, have their own interests and shareholders to serve, but Democrats can still protect the public interest while giving CEOs a seat at the table to reach pragmatic answers to difficult questions like these.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Activist groups say hundreds of people have been killed, though the true toll remains difficult to verify due to the internet blackout and tight state controls on information.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
If some species can continue reproducing even under challenging conditions, that resilience could buy ecosystems valuable time.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Much of Shrinking revolves around people going through challenging times and healing through finding love, such as Paul (Harrison Ford) beginning a relationship with his doctor.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Organizations actively seeking boundary-setting high performers will succeed and flourish in a demanding enviornment.—
Kate Wieczorek,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Stability that enables demanding experiments Beyond raw strength, stability, and reliability, the value of an all-superconducting user magnet lies in its ability to deliver high performance.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In a settlement with McCourt — and to avoid the risk of the judge imposing a deal less favorable to the league — MLB agreed the fair-market value of a Dodgers TV deal would be based on the very Fox deal that Selig had rejected.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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The fire and brimstone nature of both fixtures, played in potentially imposing and intimidating stadiums, carries the risk of heightening the level of a player’s tension, in turn hindering their concentration or ability to follow a plan.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Barrio 18 and MS-13 gangs are rivals, battling for territorial control in Guatemala by extorting shopkeepers, transport workers and civilians.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Dec. 2025
-
The couple allegedly asked customers’ family members to send original passports to them and then frequently refused to return the passports unless customers paid hundreds of dollars more, effectively extorting them, Ellison’s office said.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
22 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Graham, in particular, has been on a war path over the negotiations, accusing Republicans of not fighting hard enough to reclaim the narrative on immigration after the death of Alex Pretti last weekend.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
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LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman has long believed that anyone wanting to pursue entrepreneurship in particular will have to dedicate themselves to their idea to get it off the ground.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exacting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacting. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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