Word: fatigued

Associations

Fatigued means being very tired or exhausted. It is often caused by physical or mental effort.

• After a long day at work, I felt very fatigued. (The long hours made me feel extremely tired.)
• The athlete was fatigued after the marathon. (The physical exertion of running a long distance left the athlete exhausted.)
• After studying all night for the exam, she was fatigued in the morning. (Staying up late to study caused her to feel very tired the next day.)

A well-known synonym for "fatigued" is "tired." The difference is that "fatigued" often implies a deeper level of exhaustion, while "tired" can refer to a general sense of needing rest.

Substitution

You can use other words instead of "fatigued" in different contexts:

• "Exhausted": This often suggests a more extreme level of tiredness, as in "I was exhausted after the hike."
• "Weary": This can imply tiredness due to prolonged effort, as in "She was weary from her long journey."
• "Worn out": This indicates being used up or drained, as in "I feel worn out after the busy week."

Deconstruction

The word "fatigued" comes from the Latin root "fatigare," which means "to tire out." It has no prefix, but its suffix "-ed" indicates that it is in the past state; it describes a condition. Understanding that it originates from a word about tiring helps connect the meaning.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you felt fatigued? What caused your fatigue?
• How do you usually recover when you feel fatigued?
• Are there activities that you find particularly tiring or exhausting compared to others? Why do you think that is?