Demanding

How to spell demanding

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce demanding

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does demanding mean?

1. adjectiveRequiring a lot of effort, skill, time, or attention to handle.
2. adjectiveOf a person: expecting a great deal from others and not easily satisfied.

Demanding in a sentence

• Her new job is so demanding that she rarely leaves the office before eight.

• His most demanding client expects replies within minutes.

• Caring for a newborn is physically demanding in the first few months.

• She is a demanding manager who insists on flawless reports.

Where does demanding come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb demandare, which combined the intensifying prefix de- with mandare, meaning 'to entrust' or 'to order'. The root mandare itself came from manus 'hand' and dare 'to give', so the original idea was literally to put something into someone's hand or charge them with a task. English took the word through Old French demander, where it meant 'to ask' or 'to request', and the adjective form 'demanding' grew naturally from the verb to describe anything that asks a great deal of you. The same mand root surfaces in relatives like 'mandate', 'command', and 'commend', all carrying the sense of an order or charge handed over. Because the spelling is phonetic and regular, the main thing to remember is the single d after the n, giving 'demanding'.

How the word is built

• de- (fully, down)
• mand (from Latin mandare: to order, command)
• -ing (adjective/participle suffix)