fatigue
Americannoun
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weariness from bodily or mental exertion.
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a cause of weariness; slow ordeal; exertion.
the fatigue of driving for many hours.
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Physiology. temporary diminution of the irritability or functioning of organs, tissues, or cells after excessive exertion or stimulation.
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Civil Engineering. the weakening or breakdown of material subjected to stress, especially a repeated series of stresses.
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Also called fatigue duty. Military.
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labor of a generally nonmilitary kind done by soldiers, such as cleaning up an area, digging drainage ditches, or raking leaves.
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the state of being engaged in such labor.
on fatigue.
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Military. fatigues. see fatigues.
adjective
verb (used with object)
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to weary with bodily or mental exertion; exhaust the strength of.
Endless chatter fatigues me.
- Synonyms:
- enervate, debilitate, tire
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Civil Engineering. to subject (a material) to fatigue.
verb (used without object)
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to become tired or exhausted.
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Civil Engineering. (of a material) to undergo fatigue.
noun
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physical or mental exhaustion due to exertion
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a tiring activity or effort
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physiol the temporary inability of an organ or part to respond to a stimulus because of overactivity
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the progressive cracking of a material subjected to alternating stresses, esp vibrations
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the temporary inability to respond to a situation or perform a function, because of overexposure or overactivity
compassion fatigue
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any of the mainly domestic duties performed by military personnel, esp as a punishment
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( as modifier )
fatigue duties
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(plural) special clothing worn by military personnel to carry out such duties
verb
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to make or become weary or exhausted
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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
Derived Forms
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antifatigueadjective
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fatigableadjective
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fatiguelessadjective
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unfatiguingadjective
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fatiguinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fatiguesimple
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fatiguessimple
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have fatiguedperfect
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has fatiguedperfect
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am fatiguingprogressive
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are fatiguingprogressive
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is fatiguingprogressive
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have been fatiguingperfect progressive
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has been fatiguingperfect progressive
Past
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fatiguedsimple
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had fatiguedperfect
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was fatiguingprogressive
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were fatiguingprogressive
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had been fatiguingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fatigue
First recorded in 1685–95; from French verb fatiguer, from Latin fatīgāre “to tire”; noun derived from the verb
Explanation
Swimming and playing volleyball at the beach can make you tired and pleasantly wiped out, but long hours filling and emptying a wheelbarrow of dirt on a hot day brings fatigue, a far more draining kind of exhaustion. There is a noticeable difference between tiredness and fatigue. You can read a magazine or book before bed and get tired after a while, but if you work on math problems on a computer for a long time, you'll feel fatigue in your eyes, and maybe your brain will start to hurt. The Latin fatīgāre means to "tire out," "to fill to excess or to bursting." Even thinking about the Latin for fatigue brings some mental fatigue.
Vocabulary lists containing fatigue
List 2
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Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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A Long Walk to Water
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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.
After driving so many years without AC, Reyez says he is surprised how much even a few minutes at a time keeps fatigue away.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Octavia E. Butler, Homer: Los Angeles teachers share what they are teaching in today’s high school classrooms, book recommendations and how they’re fighting AI and tech fatigue.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026
Male and female U1s can speak through an artificial intelligence tool programmed by the company to offer soothing words if it detects fatigue or stress, and get to know its user over time.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
“The stock market doesn’t care anymore,” said Chris Galipeau, head market strategist at the Franklin Templeton Institute, about the plunge in oil prices and headline fatigue around progress toward a lasting peace deal.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026
Lupita, who sagged with fatigue in her chair, watched her aunt lumber over to the bed in the corner and grab the two small children in it.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
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.
