1
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
climbing Mount Everest is an arduous, exhausting challenge
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2
as in challenging
requiring much time, effort, or careful attention
the arduous task of doing the research for my term paper
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Recent Examples of arduous
Endurance athlete Colin O'Brady, celebrated internationally in 2018 as the first person to traverse Antarctica solo and unassisted, is returning to the unforgiving continent for an even more arduous trek.
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Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Marc Márquez finally hauled himself back to the pinnacle of MotoGP in Japan last weekend, capping one of sport’s most arduous comeback stories with an almost flawless title charge.
—Jonathan Hawkins, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
With no agreement in place, the government will soon begin the arduous process of winding down operations, sending furlough notices, and notifying contractors.
—Nik Popli, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
The hush-hush nature of big drops like Swift's has made planning somewhat arduous for those who run independent record stores.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arduous
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Marc Márquez finally hauled himself back to the pinnacle of MotoGP in Japan last weekend, capping one of sport’s most arduous comeback stories with an almost flawless title charge.
—Jonathan Hawkins, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
With no agreement in place, the government will soon begin the arduous process of winding down operations, sending furlough notices, and notifying contractors.
—Nik Popli, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
The hush-hush nature of big drops like Swift's has made planning somewhat arduous for those who run independent record stores.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arduous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arduous
Adjective
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For once, the bulk of the anger was directed not at Fosun — the investment group and majority shareholder – and the Molineux hierarchy who have conspired to deal Pereira a difficult hand, but at the head coach himself and his players.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Romancelandia’s social world, harnessed by its business-minded authors, may make its success exceedingly difficult to replicate.—
Rebecca Ackermann,
The Atlantic,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, my nephew, who’s 7, is down for a more challenging build like the Star Wars Paz Vizsla and Moff Gideon Battle set, which is currently $23 off.—
Anja Webb,
Parents,
7 Oct. 2025
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Taking the creative helm of Chanel as only the fourth artistic director to ever lead the house, Blazy has been entrusted with one of the biggest and most sought-after — although perhaps not the most challenging — jobs in fashion.—
Fiona Sinclair Scott,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Lammens was perhaps fortunate to escape sanction then (Stuart Atwell booked the forward for diving), but this was a valuable occasion ahead of tougher tests, beginning at Anfield.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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There will be some tough picking in there, but typically the predicting business gets a little easier in region play.—
Tyler Palmateer,
Nashville Tennessean,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The players are afforded down time, however, and this first week will be nowhere near as demanding as an in-season training week.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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This division of labor reportedly reduces one of the most physically demanding aspects of solar farm construction.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The coins will undergo a rigorous conservation process before being given to local museums for public display, according to the company.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
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During a recent appearance on Vulture’s Good One podcast, the standup recalled prepping for the rigorous audition process for a year while doing improv and working day jobs in Chicago.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Before referrals were halted, the effort that placed people at the Civic had already moved hard-to-reach homeless people from the street to a shelter space and, in many cases, then on to long-term housing and stability.—
Ashley Hiruko,
ProPublica,
6 Oct. 2025
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Whether the Jedi mind trick played a role Sunday is hard to quantify, but the message was obvious.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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If the past offers any guide, however, Havana will instead continue to rely on its formidable security apparatus to repress is citizens, while privatizing in ways that do not threaten the power and privileges of the elite.—
Joseph J. Gonzalez,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
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The West will be formidable, as multiple teams could make their mark this season.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arduous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arduous. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
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