What does “anstrengend” mean in German?

Asked when Berlin stops feeling like home, the speaker describes how a hard day colors the whole city: «dann kann Berlin auch sehr anstrengend sein» (“then Berlin can be really exhausting too”). Anstrengend means “exhausting, tiring, demanding,” from sich anstrengen (“to make an effort, to exert oneself”). It covers anything that wears you out: a person, a job, a long winter.

It’s one of the most useful complaint words in German: “ein anstrengender Tag” (a tiring day), “anstrengende Leute” (draining people). Note the built-in effort, anstrengend things demand energy, unlike merely langweilig (boring). For learners it’s the everyday word for “that took it out of me.”