fatigue

[fuh-teeg]

noun

1. weariness from bodily or mental exertion.

2. a cause of weariness; slow ordeal; exertion.

   the fatigue of driving for many hours.

3. Physiology.,  temporary diminution of the irritability or functioning of organs, tissues, or cells after excessive exertion or stimulation.

4. Civil Engineering.,  the weakening or breakdown of material subjected to stress, especially a repeated series of stresses.

5. Also called fatigue duty. Military.

   1. labor of a generally nonmilitary kind done by soldiers, such as cleaning up an area, digging drainage ditches, or raking leaves.

   2. the state of being engaged in such labor.

      on fatigue.

6. Military.,  fatigues. fatigues.

adjective

1. of or relating to fatigues or any clothing made to resemble them.

   The guerrilla band wore fatigue pants and field jackets.

   She brought fatigue shorts to wear on the hike.

verb (used with object)

fatigued, fatiguing 

1. to weary with bodily or mental exertion; exhaust the strength of.

   Endless chatter fatigues me.

   Synonyms: enervate, debilitate, tire

2. Civil Engineering.,  to subject (a material) to fatigue.

verb (used without object)

fatigued, fatiguing 

1. to become tired or exhausted.

2. Civil Engineering.,  (of a material) to undergo fatigue.

fatigue

/ ˈfætɪɡəbəl, fəˈtiːɡ /

noun

1. physical or mental exhaustion due to exertion

2. a tiring activity or effort

3. physiol the temporary inability of an organ or part to respond to a stimulus because of overactivity

4. the progressive cracking of a material subjected to alternating stresses, esp vibrations

5. the temporary inability to respond to a situation or perform a function, because of overexposure or overactivity

   compassion fatigue

6. 1. any of the mainly domestic duties performed by military personnel, esp as a punishment

   2. ( as modifier )

      fatigue duties

7. (plural) special clothing worn by military personnel to carry out such duties

verb

1. to make or become weary or exhausted

2. to crack or break (a material or part) by inducing fluctuating stresses in it, or (of a metal or part) to become weakened or fail as a result of fluctuating stresses

Other Word Forms

• fatigueless adjective
• fatiguingly adverb
• antifatigue adjective
• unfatiguing adjective
• fatigable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fatigue¹

First recorded in 1685–95; from French verb fatiguer, from Latin fatīgāre “to tire”; noun derived from the verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of fatigue¹

C17: from French, from fatiguer to tire, from Latin fatīgāre

Example Sentences

As a regular user of Bom's site, Ms Watson acknowledged the good intentions behind the changes, but said her research - on the social impact of tech - showed that people are getting fatigued by change.

Read more on BBC

Clad in military fatigues and armed with rifles loaded with blank cartridges, members of the Lithuanian Rifleman’s Union, or LRU, a state-funded paramilitary group, spent several days training to repel a possible enemy attack.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Early symptoms include a rash, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headache and fever, but can often be overlooked or misinterpreted.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Although the label is itself lighthearted, its popularity points to a rising undercurrent of fatigue and frustration.

Read more on MarketWatch

Meanwhile luminaries in the game, such as Eddie Jones, have long advocated limiting the number of replacements in a bid to increase fatigue, open up space, and reduce the number of collisions.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• disable 
• exhaust 
• jade 
• weaken