wearing

American  

[wair-ing] / ˈwɛər ɪŋ /

adjective

1. gradually impairing or wasting.

   Reading small print can be wearing on the eyes.

2. wearying or exhausting.

   a wearing task.

3. relating to or made for wear.

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wearing British  

/ ˈwɛərɪŋ /

adjective

1. causing fatigue or exhaustion; tiring

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Other Word Forms

• unwearing adjective
• wearingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of wearing

First recorded in 1805–15; wear + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Just know the beach will always draw them back to sunny Southern California as the three sat in the Redondo Union volleyball locker room wearing shorts, sandals and their MIT shirts.

From Los Angeles Times

Cielo achieved his time in 2009 during a period when a number of records were set by swimmers wearing high-tech suits, which have since been banned, that were designed to reduce friction through the water.

From BBC

An AI-generated image soon circulated of Underwood’s familiar scowl—only this time, he was wearing an orange tracksuit in front of an Soviet-style apartment complex looking every bit an Eastern bloc taskmaster.

From The Wall Street Journal

Darkened store fronts outnumbered open ones, and orange-vested volunteers wearing whistles patrolled the sidewalks.

From The Wall Street Journal

She talked about her first night out with her Californian roommate and the culture shock of seeing students wearing shorts to class and their public displays of affection.

From The Wall Street Journal