laborious

adjective

la·​bo·​ri·​ous lə-ˈbȯr-ē-əs How to pronounce laborious (audio)
1
a
: involving, requiring, or characterized by hard and sustained effort : arduous
Overland travel was not an adventurous communal leap, but a laborious, individual trek.Daniel J. Boorstin
Making a telescope mirror is a long and laborious process.David Devoss and Eric Sander
b
: characterized by long, detailed elaboration : tedious
Much of the middle of the book is a laborious account of the scouring of the ocean floor that led to the discovery of the Titanic.The Economist
2
: devoted to labor : industrious
We have the greatest riches, the greatest fertility, … the most laborious population.Joseph Conrad
laboriously adverb
laboriousness noun

Examples of laborious in a Sentence

a slow and laborious process the volunteers have been commendably laborious in their cleanup of the beach
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Among the family’s myriad winsome qualities is their sometimes laborious dedication to family tradition, with no occasion too small to merit its own generations-spanning ritual. Nico Lang, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2024 Vaccine design is typically slow and laborious, but AI may speed up and streamline the process. Katharine Gammon, TIME, 5 Sep. 2024 Writing a book-length critique about the shortcomings of White House executives (i.e., extremely type-A careerist obsessives) is a laborious way to make enemies. Alexander Sorondo, Vox, 31 July 2024 Often created through a long, laborious procedure from organic materials such as hemp, copper, wood, and even entire trees, her careful, cogent works possess a grounding evidence of their facture that sets them apart from the typically sleek, industrial-looking work of her Minimalist peers. News Desk, Artforum, 5 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for laborious 

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of laborious was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near laborious

Cite this Entry

“Laborious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laborious. Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

laborious

adjective
la·​bo·​ri·​ous lə-ˈbōr-ē-əs How to pronounce laborious (audio)
-ˈbȯr-
1
: devoted to work : industrious
2
: requiring hard effort
laboriously adverb
laboriousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on laborious

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!