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
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2026
Benjamin said the costs rose as deterioration in the building accelerated, partly because of the lengthy delay in construction during the pandemic, construction prices rising due to inflation and the painstaking lining up of financing.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2026
Dunst shivers half-naked, desperate to get dressed, as one lady after another barges in, each ranking higher than the last entitled to present the queen’s garment—grinding the already painstaking Cérémonie du Lever (or rising ceremony) to a halt, all in the name of etiquette.
—Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 29 Dec. 2025
Using robotics and high-speed chemistry, the team compressed what would normally be months of painstaking lab work into a single week.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for painstaking
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Adjective
Tailor Rae Moore—who often works with Sabrina Carpenter—was on hand for what was a detailed, painstaking restoration project to get the Versace gown ready.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2026
Benjamin said the costs rose as deterioration in the building accelerated, partly because of the lengthy delay in construction during the pandemic, construction prices rising due to inflation and the painstaking lining up of financing.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2026
Dunst shivers half-naked, desperate to get dressed, as one lady after another barges in, each ranking higher than the last entitled to present the queen’s garment—grinding the already painstaking Cérémonie du Lever (or rising ceremony) to a halt, all in the name of etiquette.
—Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 29 Dec. 2025
Using robotics and high-speed chemistry, the team compressed what would normally be months of painstaking lab work into a single week.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for painstaking
Cite this Entry
“Painstaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/painstaking. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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