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
Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2025
Director Tasha Van Zandt showcases the painstaking process of Widder’s work, crafting a documentary that is a love letter to both science and the natural world.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
Where Godard and his collaborators exulted in their freedom, Linklater was intent on painstaking accuracy.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2025
But two new studies offer some of the strongest evidence to date that large language models (LLMs) can generate truly novel scientific ideas, leaping to non-obvious insights that might otherwise require many years of painstaking lab work.
—Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for painstaking
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Adjective
Puzzled by his painstaking care, the tech leader had to ask why.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2025
Director Tasha Van Zandt showcases the painstaking process of Widder’s work, crafting a documentary that is a love letter to both science and the natural world.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
Where Godard and his collaborators exulted in their freedom, Linklater was intent on painstaking accuracy.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2025
But two new studies offer some of the strongest evidence to date that large language models (LLMs) can generate truly novel scientific ideas, leaping to non-obvious insights that might otherwise require many years of painstaking lab work.
—Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Sep. 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 5 Oct. 2025.
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