- present participle of exact.
exacting
Americanadjective
-
rigid or severe in demands or requirements.
an exacting teacher.
-
requiring close application or attention.
an exacting task.
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given to or characterized by exaction; extortionate.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of exacting
Explanation
Use the adjective exacting to describe something or someone very precise or strict in its requirements. If your teacher has exacting standards about spelling and punctuation, you better carefully check your final paper. An exacting person expects things to be, well, exact. For this reason, demanding is a good synonym. Friends who are exacting might let you have it if you show up a minute or two late. Some exacting people are extremely selective about what they eat, rejecting anything that doesn't meet their complicated standards of nutrition and taste.
Vocabulary lists containing exacting
Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "E" and "F"
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Letters to a Young Poet
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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.
The good news is, per Gifford, that there are less generalized models out there that are tailored to much more exacting needs.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
His reputation as an exacting director precedes him.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Anderson’s use of far-flung needle drops and lovely original score work is, like everything in his film universe, planned down to exacting detail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
"This action supports the welfare of American children by exacting real consequences for child support delinquency under existing federal law," the department said in a statement.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
All that afternoon she directed toward me calculated words that spawned in my mind a horde of invisible demons bent upon exacting vengeance for what I had done.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Definitions 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.
