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, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
Scrolling through the results, Benning then selected a diverse set of reference images and turned these into digital collages on an app on their phone, finally executing them on paper through the highly personal and painstaking medium of watercolor.
—Alex Bacon, Artforum, 10 Feb. 2026
With only a fraction of the records reviewed so far, Raskin cautioned that the process would be slow and painstaking.
—Nik Popli, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
Selecting the right shade of pink for its facade required a painstaking attention to detail.
—Tess Garcia, Architectural Digest, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painstaking
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Adjective
The growth from one colony to three over the span of several decades reflects the painstaking, long-term nature of species recovery work.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
Scrolling through the results, Benning then selected a diverse set of reference images and turned these into digital collages on an app on their phone, finally executing them on paper through the highly personal and painstaking medium of watercolor.
—Alex Bacon, Artforum, 10 Feb. 2026
With only a fraction of the records reviewed so far, Raskin cautioned that the process would be slow and painstaking.
—Nik Popli, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
Selecting the right shade of pink for its facade required a painstaking attention to detail.
—Tess Garcia, Architectural Digest, 9 Feb. 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 23 Feb. 2026.
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