demanding

1 of 2

adjective

de·​mand·​ing di-ˈman-diŋ 

-ˈmän-, 

dē-

: requiring much time, effort, or attention : exacting

a demanding job

demanding customers

demandingly

di-ˈman-diŋ-lē 

-ˈmän-, 

dē-

adverb

demandingness noun

demanding

2 of 2

present participle of demand entry 2

Synonyms of demanding

Adjective

• challenging
• difficult

Examples of demanding in a Sentence

Adjective

She had a demanding schedule with little free time.

Factory work can be physically demanding.

I have heard it is one of the most demanding courses at the university.

Their boss was really demanding, often expecting them to work long into the night.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Red Beach, given its distinctive color by iron deposits, can be reached by a demanding hike around the bluff. — Rick Steves, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026

The pope has a demanding daily schedule of meetings and public events, although on Tuesday takes a day off at the papal retreat of Castel Gandolfo. — Antonia Mortensen, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026

The researchers plan to continue improving the system and evaluate it on more demanding manipulation tasks. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026

In civil denaturalization cases, the government generally must prove its case in federal court with clear, unequivocal and convincing evidence, a demanding standard that reflects the importance of citizenship and the consequences of revoking it. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of demand entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

1926, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for demanding

• commanding
• disbanding
• expanding
• freestanding
• misbranding
• outstanding
• remanding
• upstanding
• withstanding
• banding
• branding
• handing

Kids Definition

demanding

adjective

de·​mand·​ing

di-ˈman-diŋ

: making many or difficult demands : exacting

a demanding job

demandingly adverb