1
as in challenging
requiring much time, effort, or careful attention
the demanding assignment kept them working all night long
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in exacting
hard to please
will play before a demanding audience of music critics, who are not easily impressed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in needing
to have as a requirement
a task that demands one's unremitting attention
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in asking
to set or receive as a price
superstars of the big screen who demand millions for appearing in a movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demanding
New Atlas, 8 June 2026
Not necessarily in the sense of being physically demanding — the choreography Grande joins in alongside her 12-member dance crew is inspired, but nothing more complex than what she’s done before.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 June 2026
Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Democrats began demanding changes to immigration enforcement after the shootings, creating an impasse — and resulting in the longest agency in history — that ultimately led Republicans to go it alone on the funding.
—Darlene Superville, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for demanding
Adjective
For larger-scale requirements — engineering surveys, industrial facilities, complex outdoor environments — the SHARE SLAM S100 series handles higher data volumes and more demanding capture conditions.
—New Atlas, 8 June 2026
Not necessarily in the sense of being physically demanding — the choreography Grande joins in alongside her 12-member dance crew is inspired, but nothing more complex than what she’s done before.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 June 2026
Verb
But a number are demanding that a new crop of policy makers take the reins, maybe to the exclusion of those who occupied leadership roles in the past.
—Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Democrats began demanding changes to immigration enforcement after the shootings, creating an impasse — and resulting in the longest agency in history — that ultimately led Republicans to go it alone on the funding.
—Darlene Superville, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for demanding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demanding
Adjective
-
Inmates challenging execution methods must suggest an alternative method.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
-
Lee, who relieved fans by hitting his old high notes on night one, sounded even stronger on night two, gleefully tearing into the most challenging corners of their catalog.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
The more exacting work, however, awaits in the lab, where Ayikpa and others must manually count individual microfibers from each sample under a microscope, then repeat the eye-straining analysis with air samples from high-volume vacuum samplers and real-time sensors.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
28 May 2026
-
But the goods are here, and Mysius is an exacting, exhilarating filmmaker who is more than ready to be leveled up.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
The verdict was delivered amid difficult personal circumstances for Mette-Marit, Hoiby’s mother, who needs a lung transplant for pulmonary fibrosis.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
-
Otherwise, those prospects start becoming large contracts that stand more difficult to move or aggregate.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
The pair say their grief journeys are not linear, requiring effort every day — sometimes just to get out of bed.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
-
In 2010, the judge granted a permanent injunction, requiring, among other things, that the farm stop selling raw milk beyond California and take down any statements promoting its health benefits.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Since August 2024, six Americans were hospitalized with injuries due to jet ski accidents, with three needing emergency medical evacuations to the United States, according to the security alert.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
-
Future legislative assemblies would be able to raise taxes without needing voter approval, so long as it is offset by decreasing the income tax.—
Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The body camera footage shows a shirtless Pino on another boat, and Brutto asking him if he was injured.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
-
One knight short for the trial of seven that will determine if he is freed or if he will be mutilated by the crown, Dunk appeals to the honor of all knights present, asking them to take up his cause.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Be careful when riding back downtown on a bike, as the hill notoriously increases cycling speed.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
13 June 2026
-
The Main Match Concealer is available in 22 shades, with careful consideration for South Asian undertones (which are often breezed by).—
Jailynn Taylor,
Allure,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
With the when, where and who will play whom at the 2026 World Cup all locked in, how do the groups rank from the easiest to the toughest?—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
-
Opening a restaurant in downtown Boise is a tough racket.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demanding. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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