demanding
Americanadjective
-
requiring or claiming more than is generally felt by others to be due.
a demanding teacher.
-
calling for intensive effort or attention; taxing.
a demanding job.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of demanding
Explanation
Something that's demanding calls for more work or skill than the typical task. Babysitting might seem like an easy job, but depending on the kids it can actually be incredibly demanding. A demanding job might require a lot of physical work, like farming, or a lot of patience and diplomacy, like being a teacher or a marriage counselor. When a person is described as demanding, it usually means that he or she has very high standards or is especially hard to satisfy. The word comes from the Old French demander, "to request or demand," by way of the Latin demandare, "entrust."
Vocabulary lists containing demanding
Prince (1958-2016) Tribute List
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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 central bank seized the digital lender, and people took to the streets protesting and demanding Peña's resignation.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Tech executives from Nvidia to Microsoft are walking a linguistic tightrope ever since the president said he is banning the term “artificial” and demanding everyone call the technology “super” intelligence instead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
What we can have instead is a more potent, more productive, more demanding form of libbing out.
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026
Students say the proposals do not go far enough, demanding 10 billion euros in investment.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
“I told that ridiculous tutor we were focusing on the wrong things. When I see Daddy, I’m demanding a new one.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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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.
