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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 18 June 2025
All told, the specifics of memory and storage drive home that the Mac mini is far more suitable to mainstream users, while the Mac Studio is for a more exacting, professional market that needs those expensive, lofty levels of RAM and storage.
—PC Magazine, 8 Apr. 2025
Marco Chiappetta, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
In the film, Maddie cheerfully navigates the politics of her jealous co-worker (Claudia O’Doherty), exacting boss (Connor O’Malley) and lesbian BFF (Berlant) at the sunny studios of Gourmaybe.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for exacting
Adjective
Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the more exacting standard raises questions about whether Tennessee’s law would survive.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 18 June 2025
All told, the specifics of memory and storage drive home that the Mac mini is far more suitable to mainstream users, while the Mac Studio is for a more exacting, professional market that needs those expensive, lofty levels of RAM and storage.
—PC Magazine, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
By leveraging this technology, engineers can design entire data centers and facilities to exacting power, space, cooling and performance requirements with pinpoint accuracy.
—Marco Chiappetta, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
In the film, Maddie cheerfully navigates the politics of her jealous co-worker (Claudia O’Doherty), exacting boss (Connor O’Malley) and lesbian BFF (Berlant) at the sunny studios of Gourmaybe.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
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.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
These treatments require careful and ongoing monitoring.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The coins will undergo a rigorous conservation process before being given to local museums for public display, according to the company.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
-
During a recent appearance on Vulture’s Good One podcast, the standup recalled prepping for the rigorous audition process for a year while doing improv and working day jobs in Chicago.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
For once, the bulk of the anger was directed not at Fosun — the investment group and majority shareholder – and the Molineux hierarchy who have conspired to deal Pereira a difficult hand, but at the head coach himself and his players.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Romancelandia’s social world, harnessed by its business-minded authors, may make its success exceedingly difficult to replicate.—
Rebecca Ackermann,
The Atlantic,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The big story Immigration anxieties and a challenging job market have sparked an online backlash over China's latest attempt at attracting global talent — a new visa program announced in August.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
-
His expertise could greatly benefit Ott, ahead of what is destined to be a challenging year in Phoenix.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But the Democratic leadership is demanding an immediate extension to soon-to-expire Obamacare subsidies for their votes, saying Americans face a sharp rise in health care costs without them.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Uthe noted that demanding schedules with heavy travel schedules may have prevented the couple from nurturing their partnership.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, for years, state legislatures have been passing laws that seek to reshape academic labor on the front end, by gutting funding for hires and imposing new criteria for appointment and retention.—
Time,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
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In joint second place is City’s imposing 15 victories and one defeat in 16 Premier League matches against Bournemouth.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And in response, the Maduro regime is extorting them by holding their nationals in prison and forcing them to engage with the Maduro regime for their release.—
Manuel Rueda,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
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Taxi and bus drivers, meanwhile, say gangs are extorting them for money and that the government is not doing enough to intervene.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Starting pitching, in particular, figures to be a priority.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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By buying programmatically, advertisers can snatch up inventory likely to reach a particular type of consumer under more specific conditions than possible in linear TV.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Exacting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacting. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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