Definition

1. Noun:

   • Extreme tiredness or exhaustion: A state of physical or mental weariness resulting from prolonged exertion, stress, or illness.
   • Weakening of a material: The process of a material (especially metal) becoming weaker and likely to fail after repeated stress or strain.
   • (Military) Menial labor: Non-combat tasks assigned to soldiers, such as cleaning or maintenance.
   • (With a modifier) Boredom or reduced tolerance: A feeling of weariness or diminished interest caused by excessive exposure to something.

2. Verb:

   • To tire out: To cause someone or something to become extremely tired or exhausted.
   • To become tired: To grow weary or exhausted.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • She was suffering from extreme fatigue after working three consecutive night shifts.
  • Engineers must test for metal fatigue in the aircraft's wings.
  • The recruits were assigned kitchen fatigue for the week.
  • Many voters are showing signs of political fatigue.

• Verb:

  • The long journey fatigued the travelers.
  • The repetitive motion fatigued the muscles in his arm.

Advanced Usage

• "Compassion fatigue": Reduced capacity for empathy due to overexposure to distressing news or appeals.

  • Constant news coverage of the crisis led to widespread compassion fatigue.

• "Decision fatigue": The deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision making.

  • After hours of shopping, she suffered from decision fatigue and couldn't choose a cereal.

• "To fatigue of (something/someone)": To become weary or bored with something.

  • He had begun to fatigue of the constant meetings.

Variants and Related Words

• Fatigues (plural noun): A military uniform for non-combat duties or labor.

  • The soldiers changed into their fatigues for the cleaning detail.

• Fatigued (adjective): In a state of tiredness.

  • The fatigued hikers stopped to rest.

• Fatiguing (adjective): Causing fatigue.

  • It was a long and fatiguing climb.

Synonyms

• Noun: Exhaustion, weariness, tiredness, lethargy.
• Verb: Tire, exhaust, weary, drain.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

• "To fatigue someone out": To completely exhaust someone. (Note: "wear out" is more common).
  • The intense workout fatigued him out.

Related Idioms

• "Battle fatigue": A state of extreme exhaustion and stress caused by prolonged engagement in difficult circumstances, originally from combat. Now used more broadly.
  • After months of negotiations, the diplomats showed signs of battle fatigue.

Noun

1. labor of a nonmilitary kind done by soldiers (cleaning or digging or draining or so on)
   • the soldiers were put on fatigue to teach them a lesson
   • they were assigned to kitchen fatigues
2. (always used with a modifier) boredom resulting from overexposure to something
   • he was suffering from museum fatigue
   • after watching TV with her husband she had a bad case of football fatigue
   • the American public is experiencing scandal fatigue
   • political fatigue
3. used of materials (especially metals) in a weakened state caused by long stress
   • metal fatigue
4. temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
   • he was hospitalized for extreme fatigue
   • growing fatigue was apparent from the decline in the execution of their athletic skills
   • weariness overcame her after twelve hours and she fell asleep

Verb

1. exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
   • We wore ourselves out on this hike
2. lose interest or become bored with something or somebody
   • I'm so tired of your mother and her complaints about my food