painstaking

²painstaking

adj

Definition of PAINSTAKING

: taking pains : expending, showing, or involving diligent care and effort

— pains·tak·ing·ly \-kiŋ-lē\ adverb

Examples of PAINSTAKING

1. The book describes the election process in painstaking detail.
2. <she was always painstaking about her work>

First Known Use of PAINSTAKING

1696

Related to PAINSTAKING

Synonyms: careful, conscientious, fussy, loving, meticulous, scrupulous

Antonyms: careless

Related Words: assiduous, diligent, indefatigable, persevering, sedulous; exhaustive, thorough, thoroughgoing; alert, attentive, observant, vigilant, watchful; accurate, exact, precise, strict; critical, demanding, discriminating, exacting, fastidious, finicky, particular; cautious, chary, circumspect, gingerly, guarded, heedful, mindful, wary; deliberate, plodding, slow; studied, thoughtful; all-out, determined, dogged, intensive, patient, tenacious, tireless, zealous

Near Antonyms: cursory, halfhearted; heedless, inattentive, incautious, mindless, regardless, unguarded, unsafe, unwary; lax, neglectful, negligent, slipshod, sloppy, slovenly; imprecise; inaccurate, uncritical, undemanding, undiscriminating; bold, impetuous, rash, reckless; apathetic, indifferent, lackadaisical, lazy, lazyish

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