ENGLISH
REFERENCE

taxing

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈtæksɪŋ// UK //tˈæksɪŋ// tax·ing

adj. describing something that is very tiring and needs a lot of mental or physical effort.

adj. requiring a significant amount of physical or mental effort; demanding or burdensome. Often used to describe tasks, schedules, or intellectual challenges.


SIMPLE

The long climb up the mountain was very taxing.

CONTEXTUAL

After a taxing day at the office, she usually prefers a quiet evening at home to recover her energy.

COMPLEX

The professor warned that the final exam would be particularly taxing, requiring students to synthesize complex theories from the entire semester under a strict time limit.

Synonyms
Origin

Compare typologically Russian мыта́рство (mytárstvo) (< мы́тарь (mýtarʹ, “publican (tax collector)”)).

Usage

Typically follows a linking verb like 'be', 'become', or 'find', or precedes the noun it modifies.

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