DRAINING Synonyms: 233 Similar and Opposite Words

draining 1 of 2

adjective

as in exhausting

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draining

2 of 2

verb

present participle of drain

as in pumping

to remove (liquid) gradually or completely we drained the water from the tank before cleaning it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in consuming

to make complete use of virtually drained the country's natural resources

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as in killing

to use up all the physical energy of the long hike drained us

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of draining

Adjective

This is a good time to organize the list, clarify expectations, or make a routine feel less draining. — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026 Speaking of the part of van life spent behind the wheel, Volkswagen has slightly reworked the Grand California's driver-assistance suite to make driving a little less draining. — New Atlas, 10 July 2026 Others are voluntarily asking to see more patients because the most draining and time-consuming parts of their job are now handled by AI. — Fj Campbell, Fortune, 20 May 2026 Already carrying wider spans of control and shrinking development support, a manager operating against an outdated role definition is doing something more draining than managing a heavy workload. — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026 Asch recommends finding a driver-friendly activity to make time on the road feel less draining, such as listening to an audiobook or podcast. — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026 Long periods of socializing, like a weeklong conference, can feel far more draining than shorter events. — Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025 By aligning strategic work with those rhythms, productivity can feel more natural and less draining. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025

Verb

Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer previously said investigating video gambling terminal thefts was draining village resources. — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 Under President Joe Biden, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ordered Tel*Link to pay $3 million for illegally freezing and draining funds from incarcerated people’s accounts. — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026 Yet for the actors, musicians, and athletes stepping into a recording booth, the process of making an audio memoir can be draining. — Brian Raftery, Vanity Fair, 6 Oct. 2026 If your devices are due for an upgrade, Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2026 is the perfect time to level up your tech game without draining your wallet. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 Most critically, the stifling political atmosphere Xi has created is draining Beijing’s ability to respond to emerging problems as earlier generations once did. — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026 Kubiak must learn that the Chiefs, leading the AFC West now, are an account-draining team. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026 This severe segmentation can be emotionally draining and erodes commitment to the organization. — Catherine Bell, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Teams devised an unprecedented bit of spaceship surgery to replace the valve without draining the propellant and disassembling the spacecraft, steps that would have triggered a much longer delay. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for draining

Adjective

Consequently, the action is more exhausting than invigorating, even when the physical challenge offers the possibility of something cool or inventive.

— Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Amid the constant and surely exhausting attention paid to his personal life over the years, the man has carved out an impressive career.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhausting

Verb

Street style became a bridge between the industry and the culture consuming it, capturing a moment when fashion felt especially connected to the people and communities shaping what came next.

— Alex Badia, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
What began as a rebellion against broken classrooms has become a test of whether France can reconcile its costly promises with its financial reality before the divisions consuming its schools deepen further.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of consuming

Verb

In a small Idaho town, a young mother is accused of killing her young twins.

— Glenn Thrush Eric Schmitt Liam Stack Tim Balk, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Lack of preparation Eight weeks after the UAE withdrawal, the US and Israel launched a war on Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

— Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of killing

Adjective

Most other feeders can send dozens, if not hundreds, of clips to your phone each day, which can be more fatiguing than relaxing to go through.

— Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 27 Sep. 2026
But the most mentally fatiguing aspect, the work found, was having to constantly supervise the AI tools, with some employees overseeing multiple AI agents performing different tasks at the same time.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 12 Mar. 2026

Definition of fatiguing

Verb

Originally from Mexico, Casillas immigrated to the United States at age 20 and has now been here for 50 years, spending decades building relationships within the community.

— Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
Later, after Nicole and her mother moved to other parts of the city, Nicole began spending time in Kensington, and Diane eventually moved there to be near her, Halloran-Koren said.

— Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of spending

Verb

Around me were fellow guests wearing Fendi headscarves and puffy Prada vests — none yet of the business travellers checking in with expense accounts.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
Dozens of protesters, many of them young, dressed in black and wearing masks, threw rocks and firecrackers at police at the central Brussels railway station, before setting several fires, one to a pile of city bikes and electric scooters.

— Mark Carlson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026