pains·tak·ing
ˈpān-ˌstā-kiŋ 
: taking pains : expending, showing, or involving diligent care and effort
painstaking research
painstaking tasks
painstaking accuracy
: the action of taking pains : diligent care and effort
… greater painstaking to achieve incidental verisimilitude and accuracy of detail …—
Times Literary Supplement
Times Literary SupplementExamples of painstaking in a Sentence
Adjective
The book describes the election process in painstaking detail.
she was always painstaking about her work
Recent Examples on the Web
Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
Her painstaking research closes the gap between past and future, contributing to a new way of seeing.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
It's said that when this painstaking and costly process is concluded, the site will be as safe as your own backyard, and its legacy as a dumping ground for the nuclear age will be part of history.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
But even painstaking security measures didn’t stop choppers from flying over the wedding site.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 13 Apr. 2026
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Adjective
What followed was over one year of painstaking systematic comparison with similar species across the globe.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
Her painstaking research closes the gap between past and future, contributing to a new way of seeing.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
It's said that when this painstaking and costly process is concluded, the site will be as safe as your own backyard, and its legacy as a dumping ground for the nuclear age will be part of history.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
But even painstaking security measures didn’t stop choppers from flying over the wedding site.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painstaking
Cite this Entry
“Painstaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/painstaking. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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