Synonyms

wearing

American

[wair-ing] / ˈwɛər ɪŋ /

adjective

gradually impairing or wasting.

Reading small print can be wearing on the eyes.
wearying or exhausting.

a wearing task.
relating to or made for wear.

wearing British

/ ˈwɛərɪŋ /

adjective

causing fatigue or exhaustion; tiring

"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

Other Word Forms

unwearing adjective
wearingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of wearing

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

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.

Haywood is the daughter of Daphne Dunne, a servicewoman and war widow who met the Prince in 2015 during a previous visit; she was wearing her husband's Victoria Cross.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

He was wearing a white shirt that was unbuttoned.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

They had allowed her to take a tile after another player had already grabbed it—technically a no-no—but Impellizzeri, 55 and wearing pearls as big as martini olives, was having none of it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

The Cadillac passengers said Morgan was wearing a black T-shirt and was yelling something they could not hear.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026

My coat I was wearing already, but I took my hat from its hook and stepped out into the corridor.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023