Definition of demanding adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

demanding

adjective

/dɪˈmɑːndɪŋ/

/dɪˈmændɪŋ/

(of a piece of work) needing a lot of skill, effort, etc.
- The work is physically demanding.
- the most demanding challenge I have ever faced
Synonyms difficult
difficulthard ▪ challenging ▪ demanding ▪ taxingThese words all describe something that is not easy and requires a lot of effort or skill to do.
difficult not easy; needing effort or skill to do or to understand:
The exam questions were quite difficult.
It is difficult for young people to find jobs around here.
hard not easy; needing effort or skill to do or understand:
I always found languages quite hard at school.
It was one of the hardest things I ever did.
difficult or hard?Hard is slightly less formal than difficult. It is used particularly in the structure hard to believe/say/find/take, etc., although difficult can also be used in any of these examples.
challenging (approving) difficult in an interesting way that tests your ability.demanding difficult to do or deal with and needing a lot of effort, skill, etc.:
It is a technically demanding piece of music to play.
taxing (often used in negative statements) difficult to do and needing a lot of mental or physical effort:
This shouldn’t be too taxing for you.
Patterns
- difficult/hard/challenging/demanding/taxing for somebody
- difficult/hard to do something
- physically difficult/hard/challenging/demanding/taxing
- technically difficult/challenging/demanding
- mentally/intellectually challenging/demanding/taxing
Extra Examples
- a technically demanding piece of music to play
- Childbirth is physically and emotionally very demanding and can leave you feeling shocked and drained.
- This event is considered one of the most demanding in the sporting calendar.
Topics Working lifeb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- seem
- become
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
See full entry
Definitions on the go

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(of a person) expecting a lot of work or attention from others; not easily satisfied
- a demanding boss/child
- My grandma became very demanding as she got older.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- seem
- become
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
See full entry

See demanding in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee demanding in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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halfway

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