- present participle of tax.
taxing
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of taxing
Explanation
Taxing things are stressful and difficult. Climbing a mountain is taxing, and so is spending an entire day babysitting an unruly toddler. Things that are taxing wear you out, either physically or mentally (or both). You may think of physical jobs like construction work as the most taxing kind of employment, until you realize how emotionally taxing it would be to care for sick patients as a nurse, or how mentally taxing you might find working as an accountant. This adjective comes from the verb tax, which means "to put a strain on."
Vocabulary lists containing taxing
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This treatment clears space in the bone marrow for the incoming cells, but it can be extremely taxing, particularly for older or medically frail patients.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
The harsh environment of Burning Man — which for some people is part of the appeal — is famously taxing.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
And now for the first time, the freeze means they're going to be taxing the state pension.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
First, AI data centers’ power demands can be incredibly taxing on power systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
In consequence, the AT is essentially just the central part of a very long, taxing haul connecting the South and New England.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
