Exacting means requiring great care, precision, and effort. An exacting teacher expects perfect spelling and neat handwriting on every assignment. An exacting coach demands that players master every fundamental skill before moving on to advanced techniques.

When something is exacting, it's demanding in a specific way: it requires attention to detail and high standards. Building a model airplane with tiny pieces is exacting work because one small mistake can ruin the whole project. A jeweler's job is exacting because setting stones requires steady hands and precise measurements.

An exacting person or task doesn't accept “close enough.” If a recipe calls for exactly two cups of flour and you use two and a half, an exacting baker would notice immediately.

Exacting can describe people, tasks, or standards. An exacting violin teacher might make you practice the same measure fifty times until you play it perfectly. While exacting standards can feel frustrating, they can also produce excellent results. Scientists follow exacting procedures in their experiments because precision matters when searching for truth.