exactingex‧act‧ing /ɪɡˈzæktɪŋ/ adjective 
She was an exacting woman to work for.exacting standards/demands/requirements etc He could never live up to his father’s exacting standards.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Film-editing is a difficult and exacting job.
- Only a few applicants meet our very exacting standards.
- The article is based on the institute's exacting study of wages in the health care professions.
- Beethoven gives the double bassoon a very exacting part in the Choral Symphony.
- But what surely daunted him most was facing his most exacting critic - himself.
- If training and competing were exacting, they were not nearly so exacting as plantation work.
- It is built to meet our own stringent stringent standards and more importantly, to satisfy your own exacting demands.
- She felt as if she had taken an extremely exacting examination.
- The information here is necessarily internal and more exacting and precise.
- The not very exacting demands of a theology degree gave him time to make a lot of useful Anglican friends.
- This is a very laborious and exacting technique and, to date, it has only been used with a few plants.
Longman Language Activatorneeding a lot of skill, hard work, and determination
a challenging job or activity needs a lot of hard work and skill, but it is also interesting and enjoyable: · The job wasn't challenging enough for me - I wanted something more creative.· Bowden called the piece "one of the most challenging pieces of music I've ever played."
if a new job or activity is a challenge , it is difficult, but you are determined to do it because it is interesting and exciting: · You may find your first couple of months in the job quite a challenge.· Getting the two groups to work together was a challenge, but we did it.
a demanding job or activity is very difficult and tiring, because it needs all your effort and skill: · Being a nurse in a busy hospital is a demanding job - you don't get much free time.
if something is daunting , it seems almost impossible, and the idea of doing it makes you feel nervous: · Climbing Everest is a daunting challenge for any mountaineer.daunting task: · I was faced with the daunting task of learning the whole script in 24 hours.
spoken use this about something that needs a lot of effort, skill, or determination, and you admire someone who does it: · Winning 3 gold medals in the Olympic Games takes some doing.· It took some doing, but I finally persuaded Jim to give me a few more days off.
formal difficult for someone because of needing more mental or physical effort than they are able to give: · The job was taxing, but there were some good moments.· Later in the pregnancy when the drive to work was getting too taxing, I worked at home two days a week.
needing hard work and a lot of attention given to the details of a job, in order to make sure that it is done well: · Film-editing is a difficult and exacting job.· The article is based on the institute's exacting study of wages in the health care professions.
if an activity, job etc stretches you, it is difficult enough to make you use all your skill, ability etc, and this helps you become better at it: · The exercises are designed to stretch the abilities of even the most advanced students.· I was disappointed with the course -- I didn't feel I was being stretched enough.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY He could never live up to his father’s exacting standards.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
demanding a lot of effort, careful work, or skill SYN demanding: He could never live up to his father’s exacting standards.· The information here is necessarily internal and more exacting and precise.· Were they more exacting in the eighteenth century than at any other time?· Earlier versions of the scanner have passed this module, but the latest version is more exacting.
NOUN· Skill, experience and the natural beauty and resilience of wool make Tintawn famous for its exacting standards.· It was, however, rescued and converted with great taste, mastery and exacting standards into the most comfortable of residences.· Toyota Genuine Replacement Parts are all made to the same exacting standards as those fitted to your car from new.
She was an exacting woman to work for.exacting standards/demands/requirements etc He could never live up to his father’s exacting standards.