laborious

[ luh-bawr-ee-uhs ]

/ ləˈbɔr i əs /

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See synonyms for: laborious / laboriously / laboriousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

requiring much work, exertion, or perseverance: a laborious undertaking.

characterized by or requiring extreme care and much attention to detail: laborious research.

characterized by or exhibiting excessive effort, dullness, and lack of spontaneity; labored: a strained, laborious plot.

given to or diligent in work: a careful, laborious craftsman.

OTHER WORDS FOR laborious

1 toilsome, arduous, onerous, burdensome, difficult, hard, tiresome, wearisome, fatiguing.

4 hardworking, industrious, assiduous, sedulous, painstaking.

See synonyms for laborious on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of laborious

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Latin word labōriōsus.See labor, -ious

OTHER WORDS FROM laborious

la·bo·ri·ous·ly, adverbla·bo·ri·ous·ness, nounqua·si-la·bo·ri·ous, adjectivesu·per·la·bo·ri·ous, adjective

su·per·la·bo·ri·ous·ness, nounun·la·bo·ri·ous, adjectiveun·la·bo·ri·ous·ness, noun

Words nearby laborious

Labor Day, labored, laborer, labor force, labor-intensive, laborious, laboriously, Laborism, Laborite, Labor-Management Relations Act, labor market

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use laborious in a sentence

Let’s start with the more laborious approach, which broke down into cases depending on how many of the other nine people in the room were also in the top decile.
Can You Catch The Cricket?|Zach Wissner-Gross|August 20, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Quilting—which is inherently more laborious because of the thickness of the fabric—is made easier with an extended table, high-speed straight-stitch capability, and major power.
The best sewing machine: A stitch in time for every skill level|Irena Collaku|July 28, 2021|Popular-Science
The laborious forms and appeals process aren’t the only impediments.
How COVID-19 Long Haulers Could Change the U.S. Disability Benefits System|Abigail Abrams|July 20, 2021|Time
It relies on laborious experimental techniques that can take months or even years.
Protein Folding AI Is Making a ‘Once in a Generation’ Advance in Biology|Shelly Fan|July 20, 2021|Singularity Hub

Getting them to sound any more natural was a laborious manual task.
AI voice actors sound more human than ever—and they’re ready to hire|Karen Hao|July 9, 2021|MIT Technology Review
But through most of the 20th century, printing documents remained an expensive, laborious process.
Pioneers in Printing|The Daily Beast|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Depression is often a laborious uphill struggle for the sufferer and their loved ones.
The Burden Robin Williams Carried: Diagnosed With Parkinson’s and Depression|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Leo Valencia, the owner of World Logistics MIA, agreed to help Lobo with the laborious task of moving the palettes of Nexcite.
Sexually-Charged Napalm Sculptures Debut at Gallery Diet in Miami|Ann Binlot|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a result, this season has often felt less like an organic narrative than a laborious calculation.
‘Still Positive’ Shows Why ‘Homeland’ Hasn’t Jumped the Shark (Yet)|Andrew Romano|November 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Leather was another major theme this season, and the detail on some the garments was painstakingly laborious.
At Balenciaga, Short & Sweet|Alice Cavanagh|September 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
On the following morning the Parliament met; and one of the most laborious sessions of that age commenced.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
He was a man of great learning and eccentricity, and devoted his long life to laborious study.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
He was a laborious writer, in which he was distinguished by his great learning and elegance of style.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
He addicted himself to laborious studies and had an extensive knowledge of ancient and modern languages.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Even where conviction is obtained in such cases it is only after the most laborious and expensive processes and investigations.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various

British Dictionary definitions for laborious

laborious

/ (ləˈbɔːrɪəs) /

adjective

involving great exertion or long effort

given to working hard

(of literary style, etc) not fluent

Derived forms of laborious

laboriously, adverblaboriousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

laborious

OTHER WORDS FOR laborious

Origin of laborious

OTHER WORDS FROM laborious

Words nearby laborious

Words related to laborious

How to use laborious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for laborious

Derived forms of laborious