exacting

IPA/ɪɡˈzæktɪŋ/
KK[ɪɡzˈæktɪŋ]IPA/ɪɡˈzæktɪŋ/

exacting — adjective

  • exactingpositive
  • more exactingcomparative
  • most exactingsuperlative

1. requiring a great amount of effort, careful attention, and high standards of acc

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

requiring a great amount of effort, careful attention, and high standards of accuracy or quality — used to describe a task, standard, job, or set of conditions that leave little room for error or shortcuts.

Example

Professor Okafor gave her students an exacting assignment that required weeks of library research.

exacting + assignment / task

The chef's exacting standards meant every plate was checked before leaving the kitchen.

exacting standards

Common collocations
  • exacting standards
  • exacting task
  • exacting work
  • exacting conditions
  • exacting requirements
  • exacting in one's methods
Synonyms
  • demanding

    More general; implies requiring effort but not necessarily precision. 'Exacting' adds the nuance of detail-orientation.

  • rigorous

    Emphasises strictness and thoroughness; common in academic and scientific contexts.

  • stringent

    Emphasises strict rules or limits; used for regulations, standards, or controls.

  • painstaking

    Describes the care taken by a person rather than the nature of the task itself.

Antonyms
  • undemanding

    Requiring little effort or attention.

  • lenient

    Applied to standards or rules that are not strict.

Usage Note

More formal than 'demanding'. Frequently used with nouns like standard, requirement, task, work, condition, or test. Often implies precision and attention to detail rather than just physical effort.

Common Mistakes

My teacher is very exacting with us, she gives us a lot of homework.
My teacher is very demanding with us, she gives us a lot of homework.
'exacting' focuses on precision and detail, not just quantity of work.
The exacting job paid very well.
The demanding job paid very well.
'exacting' specifically implies attention to detail and high accuracy; for a job that is hard because of long hours or physical labour, use 'demanding'.

Word family

  • exact
    verbB2
  • exactingly
    adverbC1
  • exactness
    nounC1
  • exaction
    nounC1
  • exactitude
    nounC1
  • inexact
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Exacting, demanding, rigorous, stringent, and painstaking all involve high standards, but they differ in emphasis. Demanding is the broadest — it covers anything requiring effort, from a physical job to a needy child. Exacting adds the idea of precision and attention to detail; an exacting boss checks your work closely. Rigorous stresses thoroughness and systematic procedure, common in academic or scientific contexts (a rigorous study). Stringent applies to rules, limits, or controls that are very tight and leave little flexibility (stringent safety regulations). Painstaking describes the careful, diligent effort someone puts into a task (painstaking research), rather than the task itself. Choose demanding for general difficulty, exacting for precision-oriented standards, rigorous for thorough methodology, stringent for strict rules, and painstaking for careful human effort.

demandingrigorousstringentpainstaking

Common collocations

Nouns

  • exacting standards
  • exacting task
  • exacting work
  • exacting conditions
  • exacting requirements
  • exacting demands
  • exacting criteria
  • exacting precision

Adverbs

  • extremely exacting
  • particularly exacting
  • technically exacting
  • physically exacting
  • emotionally exacting
  • notoriously exacting

Phrases

  • known for being exacting
  • under exacting conditions
  • with exacting attention to detail
  • meet exacting standards

Prepositions

  • exacting in (one's methods / approach / standards)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Exacting comes from the Latin verb exigere, meaning 'to drive out, demand, determine'. The word passed through French before entering English. The adjective form developed in the 16th century, originally meaning 'given to making harsh demands'. Over time it shifted toward describing tasks and standards that require careful effort rather than describing people who demand it. The nuance of 'precision' became stronger in the 19th century.

First known use

1634

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1