What does tiring mean?
Tiring is an adjective meaning that something causes physical or mental fatigue. It describes activities, journeys, tasks, people, or experiences that make a person feel worn out, worn down, or in need of rest. In everyday use, tiring often also suggests that the activity is dull or repetitive, although the word can be used without that implication when it refers mainly to physical exertion. For example, a long climb may be tiring because it demands energy, while a repetitive meeting may be tiring because it is monotonous and difficult to remain engaged with. The word is used in both British and American English and is appropriate in formal, professional, and informal contexts. Tiring is related to the verb tire, and its adverb form, tiringly, is occasionally used, though it is much less common. In vocabulary work, tiring is especially useful for distinguishing activities that produce fatigue from those that are merely difficult, surprising, or challenging.
adjectiveCausing physical or mental fatigue; making one feel tired or worn out. It can also describe something dull or monotonous because it requires sustained effort.
- Causing physical or mental fatigue; making one feel tired or worn out.
- Tedious or monotonous, especially because something requires sustained effort.
"The long journey through the mountains was exhausting but strangely beautiful."
"The doctor advised him to avoid the tiring task until he had recovered."
"The lecture was so repetitive and tiring that several students struggled to stay awake."
Tiring is the present participle of tire: it literally describes an action that leaves you worn out.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tiring come from?
Tiring is a present participle formed from the verb tire together with the suffix -ing. The verb tire comes through Middle English from Old French tire, originally associated with turning or order, and later developed meanings connected with weariness, exhaustion, and the process of becoming tired. As an adjective, tiring developed from the idea of an activity that tires a person, and it came to include not only physical fatigue but also mental weariness and tedium.
Related word forms
How tiring is actually used
Tiring is neutral in register and common in everyday English. It can describe both physical exertion and mental strain, and it often carries the additional implication that an activity is dull or monotonous.
Easily confused with tiring
Tiring means causing fatigue or weariness, whereas trying means demanding effort, testing someone's patience, or involving an attempt to do something.