painstaking

1 of 2

adjective

pains·​tak·​ing ˈpān-ˌstā-kiŋ 

: taking pains : expending, showing, or involving diligent care and effort

painstaking research

painstaking tasks

painstaking accuracy

painstakingly

ˈpān-ˌstā-kiŋ-lē 

adverb

painstaking

2 of 2

noun

: the action of taking pains : diligent care and effort

… greater painstaking to achieve incidental verisimilitude and accuracy of detail …

—Times Literary Supplement

Synonyms of painstaking

Adjective

• meticulous
• careful
• conscientious
• loving
• diligent

Examples 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

Adjective

Finding an answer still requires the painstaking work of formulation, preclinical testing, clinical research, and regulatory review. — Emma Clapp, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

The process is so painstaking even a single mistake can ruin an entire dial. — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 1 Sep. 2026

Just boiling things down to that, and to the voice and the lip sync is painstaking. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026

New technologies are being disseminated ever more quickly, and the machinery of politics and law delivers accountability at best intermittently, and then only at a painstaking crawl. — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1685, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1538, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for painstaking

• awaking
• backbreaking
• bookmaking
• breathtaking
• brickmaking
• caretaking
• dressmaking
• filmmaking
• forsaking
• glassmaking
• groundbreaking
• haymaking

Kids Definition

painstaking

adjective

pains·​tak·​ing

ˈpān-ˌstā-kiŋ

: taking or showing great care and effort

a painstaking search

painstakingly

-kiŋ-lē

adverb