wearing

/ˈweərɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · [wˈɛrɪŋ] /ˈwerɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · [wˈɛrɪŋ] /ˈwer-iŋ How to pronounce wearing (audio)/ (ame, mw)

wearing — adjective

  • wearingpositive
  • more wearingcomparative
  • most wearingsuperlative

1. causing a gradual feeling of tiredness, annoyance, or loss of patience, especial

1.形容詞B2
釋義

causing a gradual feeling of tiredness, annoyance, or loss of patience, especially when something continues for too long or demands more effort than you can easily give

例句

The constant noise from the construction site was extremely wearing for the Watanabe family.

wearing + for + [someone] — identifies who is affected

After standing for six hours answering tourist questions, Nadia found the museum shift physically wearing.

find + [something] + wearing — common pattern

同義詞
  • tiring

    more general and immediate; does not carry the same sense of gradual accumulation over time. A2-level word, more common than 'wearing'.

  • exhausting

    stronger in intensity; implies near-complete depletion of energy. B1-level, more common than 'wearing'.

  • draining

    very close in meaning, but 'draining' often emphasises emotional or mental depletion more than physical. B2-level, similar frequency.

  • tiresome

    focuses more on annoyance and boredom than on fatigue. B1-level, slightly more common than 'wearing'.

反義詞
  • refreshing

    restoring energy or spirit; the opposite of something that drains you. B1-level.

  • invigorating

    giving energy rather than taking it away. B2-level.

文法句型

be + wearing

become/get + wearing

find + [something] + wearing

wearing + on + [something]

用法筆記

Unlike 'tiring', which can describe immediate fatigue, 'wearing' suggests a gradual build-up of tiredness or frustration over time. Frequently used with intensifiers such as 'extremely', 'very', or 'deeply', and often followed by 'on' to indicate the quality being exhausted — e.g. 'wearing on the nerves' or 'wearing on the patience'. Can be used both predicatively ('the day was wearing') and attributively ('a wearing experience').

常見錯誤

❌I am very wearing today.
✅I feel very worn out today.
💡'wearing' describes the thing that causes tiredness, not the person experiencing it.
❌This job is wearing me out.
✅This job is wearing.
💡The sentence with 'wearing me out' uses the phrasal verb 'wear out', not the adjective 'wearing'.
❌It was a tiring experience' (when gradual exhaustion is intended).
✅It was a wearing experience.
💡'Tiring' covers immediate effort; 'wearing' emphasises the cumulative drain over time.