1
as in challenging
requiring much time, effort, or careful attention
the demanding assignment kept them working all night long
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in exacting
hard to please
will play before a demanding audience of music critics, who are not easily impressed
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3
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
the demanding task of reading and grading student compositions
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in requiring
to ask for (something) earnestly or with authority
the losing party demanded a recount of the votes cast in the election
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in needing
to have as a requirement
a task that demands one's unremitting attention
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3
as in asking
to set or receive as a price
superstars of the big screen who demand millions for appearing in a movie
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demanding
Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
Block out time wisely Another useful addition to your work calendar could be time blocking to preserve time for deep work, or your most cognitively demanding tasks, Newport says.
—Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2025
Tim Sullivan, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Standing in the way of technology development is not a good look for the Democratic Party, but demanding that tech companies foot the bill for the need to modernize, upgrade and massively expand utility electricity generation would be a good position to take.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demanding
Adjective
The Knights are ranked 10th among Big 12 teams in the latest ESPN Power Index, with the seventh-most demanding remaining schedule in the conference.
—Verb
The videos of the shooting show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for demanding
Adjective
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But last month, Critchfield backed off in the face of a challenging state budget.—
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Depending on where in the country your family lives, winter can be a challenging time for kids who are cooped up inside amid the chillier weather.—
Adjective
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Touching on his reputation as an exacting, demanding, sometimes even difficult director to work with, Cameron offered rare comments about a joke made at an awards show that still stings over a decade later.—
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The exacting, obsessive thoroughness with which Cameron has imagined this world is not an end in itself, however.—
Adjective
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Jens generally chooses his words carefully, and is, what’s more, particularly reticent just after finishing a long and difficult winter delivery trip; what’s a person supposed to do with words in a blizzard anyway, up on a stormy heath and all directions lost?—
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In his first start in the wake of Beau Pribula’s significant injury, Zollers walked into a difficult situation, and his stat line reflected it.—
Verb
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While the temporary jail facility will not be subject to the city ordinance requiring the standard, the permanent facility that is also planned will be.—
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Governing is a long and laborious process, requiring study, deliberation and the weighing of competing forces.—
Verb
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With contractors and staff needing housing, Hawkins has seen interest in apartments grow with the fabs.—
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Astrorinse has a 22-liter capacity for the station’s debris handling and can support up to two cleaning cycles per week for as long as two months without needing to empty or replace the disposable dust bag.—
Verb
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Police are asking anyone with information to contact them.—
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Deliberations are ongoing and the company could decide not to proceed with a listing, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information isn’t public.—
Adjective
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
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These soft and chewy treats are the result of dozens of careful recipe tests.—
Adjective
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This leads to families having to make tough decisions, said Cindy Kincaid, family caregiver program manager at Centralina Regional Council.—
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She's been amazing, a sort of brutal support, tough lover, very educational.—
Cite this Entry
“Demanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demanding. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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