vaativainen

Vaativainen is a Finnish adjective meaning requiring a lot, demanding, or high in standards. It is used to describe tasks, environments, standards, or people who set strict requirements. For example, the phrases “se tehtävä on vaativaa” and “vaativia tehtäviä” are common when referring to work that requires substantial skill or effort. The term can have a neutral tone when simply describing the level of difficulty, but it can also carry a critical nuance if the demands are perceived as excessive.

Etymology and form: Vaativainen is formed from the verb vaatia (to demand) with the suffix -inen, which is used to create adjectives. The related noun vaatimus means a demand or requirement, and vaativuus denotes the quality of being demanding. The word agrees with the noun it modifies in number and case, for example “vaativainen työ” (singular) and “vaativia tehtäviä” (plural partitive in predicates like “ne tehtävät ovat vaativia”).

Usage notes: Vaativainen commonly describes situations, standards, and people characterized by high requirements. Synonyms include haastava (challenging) and korkeat vaatimukset (high requirements) as a phrase. Antonyms include helppo (easy) and yksinkertainen (simple). The noun form vaativuus refers to the characteristic of being demanding, and the derived noun vaativuus is used in discussions of standards or expectations.

See also: vaatimus, vaativuus, haastava, työtehtävät.