DEMANDS Synonyms: 106 Similar and Opposite Words

demands 1 of 2

noun

plural of demand

as in requirements

something that someone insists upon having agreed to the customer's demand for a refund

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in markets

the state of being sought after especially for purchase a steadily declining demand for film cameras

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as in necessities

something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable we are very confident that our new employee is fully equal to the demands of the job

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

demands

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of demand

as in requests

to ask for (something) earnestly or with authority the losing party demanded a recount of the votes cast in the election

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in needs

to have as a requirement a task that demands one's unremitting attention

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in asks

to set or receive as a price superstars of the big screen who demand millions for appearing in a movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 demands

Noun

Shipping firms now risk penalties for responding to information demands from organizations Iran has set up to manage the Strait of Hormuz. — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026 This points to global streaming services nearing a precipice for cost increases, as the proliferation of services available and a general caution around spending mean consumers are becoming less likely to accept higher and higher demands. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026 Their demands extend beyond the wage board to job security, workplace safety, maternity benefits, access to subsidized essentials and protection against anti-union discrimination, blacklisting and intimidation. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 24 Aug. 2026 Assign the technical evaluation to team members with deep expertise in the role’s technical demands. — Harvard Business Review, 24 Aug. 2026 The system, called the Enhanced Power and Cooling System, or EPACS, underwent several days of testing under conditions intended to replicate aircraft mission demands. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026 Kyiv urgently needs more interceptors before winter, when Russia routinely bombards its power grid, but the demands of the Iran war and slow output of the sophisticated interceptors have left Ukraine short and vulnerable. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026 Newport addresses this through the lens of concentration—which the author positions as a critical skill in a modern workplace filled with competing demands and distractions. — John Hall, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 After Araujo’s loan exit, Flick will need every single individual in defence to cope with the demands of the upcoming season. — Pol Ballús, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Verb

Extended to the realm of foreign policy, this reimagination of the foundations of Western civilization demands a new and distinct grand strategy. — Leonard A. Schuette, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026 What has been missing is the urgency — and the political will — to respond on the scale this crisis demands. — Jason Collins, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026 Iran demands that ships use a northern route through its territorial waters to transit the strait or risk coming under attack. — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 When one important measure changes dramatically while other indicators move in a different direction, that discrepancy demands investigation. — Katie Pace Miles, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026 But each case demands attention from European and British police and intelligence agencies, which are already dealing with a range of similar threats from other autocracies such as China and Russia. — Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026 The current climate demands bold, courageous leadership to defend our constitutional freedoms. — Jack Springgate, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026 By the end, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat had done what the format demands and what his entire career had led up to. — Gemma Redrup, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 This practice demands patience, psychological safety, and active listening. — Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for demands

Noun

Students from elsewhere will need to check if the programs meet their state requirements, said Pam Downing, the school's director of communications, in an email.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Abbott’s office says the audit is necessary in part because fewer than 10% of data centers have been complying with existing state reporting requirements on power and water usage, according to press secretary Andrew Mahaleris, per Newsweek.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of requirements

Noun

The bond markets got only temporary relief from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement that the government would double its buybacks of longer-term bonds.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Videos on social media published last week showed empty markets in Tehran and Karaj, with sellers complaining that their fresh produce is not being bought.

— Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of markets

Noun

And while inflation has cooled from some of its recent highs, Americans are still paying elevated prices for everyday necessities, leaving less room in the budgets to make meaningful progress on expensive revolving debt.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Flossmoor neighbors are collecting hygiene necessities to send to a community native and other sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln amid reports of poor conditions during its record-breaking long deployment.

— Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of necessities

Verb

The person asked for gas money and Bitcoin, requests the family found suspicious because Goods doesn't drive and didn't have a car in Las Vegas.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Districts have to abide by Wisconsin’s open records law, meaning that reams of records are available to anyone who formally requests them.

— Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of requests

Verb

The group also claims to have obtained a playable build of the game and asks users for cryptocurrency donations.

— Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
One day, a stranger hands you a tablet and asks you to identify the correct words in a passage or find information in a chart.

— Jennifer D. Kobrin, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of asks

Noun

Tasked with designing the FIFA KC Fan Fest site for the World Cup, Kansas City sports architecture firm Populous checked the boxes of musts to be included for the site at the World War I Museum.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026
Tex-Mex and barbecue are musts, and the options are plentiful.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 May 2026

Definition of musts

Verb

The Broadway production takes that same approach and translates it thrillingly to the stage through an entirely original ghost story that requires no knowledge of anything that’s come before it.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Following a 1990 accident that fractured his spine, Billesdon lives with a paralyzed colon and bladder that requires workplace accommodations and causes severe side effects from medication.

— Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of requires

Browse Nearby Words

demanding

demands

demarcate

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Style

“Demands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demands. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of demands

noun

verb

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