labor-intensive

adjective

la·​bor-in·​ten·​sive ˈlā-bər-in-ˌten(t)-siv 

: having high labor costs per unit of output

especially : requiring greater expenditure on labor than in capital

Examples of labor-intensive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mind you, this is not about a fancy, labor-intensive, method-forward sauce. — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 14 July 2026

The goal is to improve inspection quality while reducing the risks associated with labor-intensive maintenance work. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026

Airlines are capital- and labor-intensive and structurally vulnerable to shocks beyond their control. — Somit Goyal, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

The jobs ratio used to select productions also favors animation since the category is often more labor-intensive than live-action, generating higher below-the-line spending relative to the total production budget. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for labor-intensive

• counteroffensive
• antihypertensive
• apprehensive
• coextensive
• comprehensive
• hypertensive
• hypotensive
• inexpensive
• inoffensive
• normotensive
• defensive
• expensive