fatigue

[fuh-teeg]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fatigue ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

weariness from bodily or mental exertion.

a cause of weariness; slow ordeal; exertion: the fatigue of driving for many hours.

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

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

Also called fatigue duty. Military.

labor of a generally nonmilitary kind done by soldiers, such as cleaning up an area, digging drainage ditches, or raking leaves.
the state of being engaged in such labor: on fatigue.

fatigues, Military. fatigue clothes.

adjective

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), fa·tigued, fa·ti·guing.

to weary with bodily or mental exertion; exhaust the strength of: Endless chatter fatigues me.

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

verb (used without object), fa·tigued, fa·ti·guing.

to become fatigued.

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

Nearby words

Origin of fatigue

1685–95; < French fatigue (noun), fatiguer (v.) < Latin fatīgāre to tire

SYNONYMS FOR fatigue

8. tire, debilitate, enervate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fatigue ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsfa·tigue·less, adjectivefa·ti·guing·ly, adverban·ti·fa·tigue, adjectiveun·fa·ti·guing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fatiguing

The long journey, so far from fatiguing the invalid, proved a source of revival.
The Bastonnais|John Lesperance
Beautiful scenery, interesting pictures and tombs,” said Mrs. Browning of this journey, “but a fatiguing experience.
The Brownings|Lilian Whiting
Charley went to look for it, and did not join us before we had arrived at our camp, after an unusually long and fatiguing stage.
Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia|Ludwig Leichhardt
We now had to inaugurate a new kind of locomotion, which would have the advantage of being rapid and not fatiguing.
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth|Jules Verne

I fancy we should do better by taking a few hours' rest, instead of fatiguing ourselves without any definite object.
The Trail-Hunter|Gustave Aimard

British Dictionary definitions for fatiguing

fatigue

noun

physical or mental exhaustion due to exertion

a tiring activity or effort

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

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

the temporary inability to respond to a situation or perform a function, because of overexposure or overactivitycompassion fatigue

any of the mainly domestic duties performed by military personnel, esp as a punishment
(as modifier)fatigue duties

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

verb -tigues, -tiguing or -tigued

to make or become weary or exhausted

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

Derived Formsfatigable (ˈfætɪɡəbəl), adjectivefatigueless, adjective

Word Origin for fatigue

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fatiguing

fatigue

1660s, "that which causes weariness," from French fatigue "weariness," from fatiguer "to tire," from Latin fatigare, originally "to cause to break down," later, "to weary, fatigue, tire out," from pre-Latin adj. *fati-agos "driving to the point of breakdown," from Old Latin *fatis (of unknown origin, related to adv. affatim "sufficiently" and to fatisci "crack, split") + root of agere "to drive" (see act (n.)). Meaning "weariness from exertion" is from 1719.

fatigue

1690s, from French fatiguer (15c.), from fatigue (see fatigue (n.). Earlier in same sense was fatigate (1530s). Related: Fatigued; fatiguing.

Medicine definitions for fatiguing

fatigue

[fə-tēg′]

n.

Physical or mental weariness resulting from exertion.

A sensation of boredom and lassitude due to absence of stimulation, to monotony, or to lack of interest in one's surroundings.

The decreased capacity or complete inability of an organism, organ, or part to function normally because of excessive stimulation or prolonged exertion.

fatigue

noun

adjective

verb (used with object), fa·tigued, fa·ti·guing.

verb (used without object), fa·tigued, fa·ti·guing.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of fatigue

Examples from the Web for fatiguing

fatigue

noun

verb -tigues, -tiguing or -tigued

Word Origin for fatigue

fatigue

fatigue

fatigue

n.