veeleisende

Veeleisende is a Dutch adjective used to describe someone or something that imposes many demands or requires substantial time, effort, or resources. It is commonly applied to tasks, roles, or people who set high standards. The word is formed from veel (much) and eis (demand) with the suffix -ende. The form veeleisende is used before a noun, for example een veeleisende taak or een veeleisende klant; in predicative position one would say de taak is veeleisend.

Usage and nuance: The term often carries a negative connotation when applied to people, suggesting that they demand a lot or are hard to satisfy. When applied to tasks or roles, it describes difficulty or resource-intensiveness, and can be neutral or slightly critical depending on context. Common contexts include work (veeleisende baan), projects (veeleisende opdracht) and customer relations (veeleisende klant).

Synonyms and related forms: The shorter synonym eisend or veeleisend conveys a similar idea, with varying strength. Phrases such as hoogeisenstellend or veel eisen geven describe the level of requirements rather than a person’s disposition. The adjective is inflected to agree with the noun: veeleisende taak, veeleisende klant, veeleisende werkgever; plural forms include veeleisende taken and veeleisende klanten. In everyday speech, the term can be used to express that something or someone is demanding or challenging to manage.

See also: In Dutch linguistics, veeleisende illustrates how adjectives inflect for gender and number and how compound meanings combine veel and eis to express demandingness.