fatigue
HighFormal & Technical
Definition
Meaning
Extreme physical or mental tiredness resulting from exertion, illness, or strain.
A weakening or failure in the strength or functioning of something, often after repeated stress or overuse (e.g., metal fatigue). Also, refers to menial labour duties in a military context.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Uncountable noun in most contexts, but can be countable when referring to specific types (e.g., combat fatigue, compassion fatigue). Strong association with health, work, and materials science.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minor differences in collocational frequency. Military usage for 'fatigue duty' (menial tasks) is more common in American English.
Connotations
Slightly more clinical/medical tone in UK usage. The military 'fatigues' (clothing) sense is strong in US usage.
Frequency
Comparably high frequency in both varieties. The verb form ('to fatigue someone/metal') is more common in technical registers in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
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Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Battle fatigue”
- “Compassion fatigue”
- “Decision fatigue”
- “Zoom fatigue”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Describing employee burnout, reduced productivity, or market weariness (e.g., 'investor fatigue').
Academic
Used in psychology, medicine, materials science, and sociology to describe specific syndromes or failure modes.
Everyday
Commonly used to describe feeling very tired after long work, travel, or illness.
Technical
In engineering: 'metal fatigue'. In medicine: 'chronic fatigue syndrome' or 'adrenal fatigue' (controversial).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The relentless schedule began to fatigue the athletes.
- Materials can fatigue under constant vibration.
American English
- The long commute fatigues her by Friday.
- The repeated stress fatigued the aircraft's wings.
adverb
British English
- (Rare) He smiled fatiguedly at the end of the marathon.
American English
- (Rare) She waved her hand fatiguedly, unable to speak further.
adjective
British English
- The fatigue crew was assigned to kitchen duties.
- He reported feeling fatigued for weeks.
American English
- The soldiers changed into their fatigue uniforms.
- Patients often feel fatigued after the procedure.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I feel a lot of fatigue after my long run.
- The doctor said my fatigue is from a cold.
- Pilot fatigue is a serious safety concern in aviation.
- She was suffering from fatigue after studying all night.
- The political scandal led to a palpable fatigue among the electorate.
- Compassion fatigue can affect caregivers, making them emotionally numb.
- Microscopic analysis revealed the onset of metal fatigue at the fracture point.
- The summit failed to produce new agreements, with diplomats citing negotiation fatigue.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a TIGer (tiːɡ) that is so tired (fa-TIGued) it can't even roar.
Conceptual Metaphor
FATIGUE IS A BURDEN / WEIGHT (carry fatigue, weighed down by fatigue). FATIGUE IS A FORCE (fatigue overcame him, fatigue set in).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating as 'усталость' in all contexts; for 'metal fatigue' use 'усталость металла'. For 'combat fatigue' it's not just tiredness but a psychological condition ('контузия', 'психическое истощение'). 'Fatigues' (clothing) is 'камуфляжная форма'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a countable noun incorrectly: 'I have a fatigue' (wrong) vs. 'I have fatigue' or 'I am suffering from a strange fatigue' (possible). Confusing 'fatigued' (adj.) with 'tiring' (adj.).
Practice
Quiz
In which context does 'fatigue' NOT primarily refer to tiredness?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily uncountable (e.g., 'I have fatigue'). It becomes countable when referring to specific, named types (e.g., 'the different fatigues associated with the illness').
'Fatigued' is stronger and more formal than 'tired'. It often implies a deeper, more debilitating weariness, sometimes with a medical or technical connotation.
Yes, though it's more common in technical/formal contexts. It means 'to cause to become tired' (people) or 'to weaken by repeated stress' (materials).
It refers to two things: 1) Menial duties (e.g., 'kitchen fatigue'), and 2) (More commonly today) The casual uniform worn for such duties or fieldwork, often camouflage.