ARDUOUS Synonyms: 106 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'arduous' different from other adjectives like it?

The words difficult and hard are common synonyms of arduous . While all three words mean "demanding great exertion or effort," arduous stresses the need of laborious and persevering exertion. // the arduous task of rebuilding

Q: When could 'difficult' be used to replace 'arduous'?

While in some cases nearly identical to arduous , difficult implies the presence of obstacles to be surmounted or puzzles to be resolved and suggests the need of skill or courage. // the difficult ascent of the mountain

Q: When is it sensible to use 'hard' instead of 'arduous'?

The synonyms hard and arduous are sometimes interchangeable, but hard implies the opposite of all that is easy. // farming is hard work

arduous

adjective

ˈär-jə-wəs

Definition of arduous

as in difficult

requiring considerable physical or mental effort climbing Mount Everest is an arduous, exhausting challenge

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in challenging

requiring much time, effort, or careful attention the arduous task of doing the research for my term paper

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word arduous different from other adjectives like it?

The words difficult and hard are common synonyms of arduous. While all three words mean "demanding great exertion or effort," arduous stresses the need of laborious and persevering exertion.

the arduous task of rebuilding

When could difficult be used to replace arduous?

While in some cases nearly identical to arduous, difficult implies the presence of obstacles to be surmounted or puzzles to be resolved and suggests the need of skill or courage.

the difficult ascent of the mountain

When is it sensible to use hard instead of arduous?

The synonyms hard and arduous are sometimes interchangeable, but hard implies the opposite of all that is easy.

farming is hard work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of arduous The journey back to the river camp was an arduous three-mile hike over rough terrain. — Jan Thacker, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2026 Get a first glimpse of the young royals and the travelers on their arduous journey right here. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 Shasta, the fifth-highest peak in California, can be ascended by routes that don’t require technical climbing skills, but all are arduous hikes. — Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 2 Sep. 2026 That’s all Mensah has been trying to be since enrolling at Miami in January following a lengthy and arduous process to officially transfer. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for arduous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for arduous

Adjective

Being undefeated after a trio of difficult opening matches can only be seen as a positive, even if Newcastle’s obvious shortcomings require addressing if that run is to be prolonged.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Engineers need flight data on propulsion, aerodynamics, thermal management, guidance and other subsystems under conditions that are difficult to reproduce on the ground.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of difficult

Adjective

Eric Loucks, the director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown, pointed out that a person can have a challenging experience during meditation and still find their overall meditation practice to be beneficial.

— Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
For something more hands-on, Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville has a challenging kart circuit where karts can reach 50 mph or more.

— Chris Teague, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of challenging

Adjective

Because of the heat wave's dramatic effect on everyday life, Paris became a tough place to walk around in the sunshine.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
But Chipotle has been in a tough spot since Niccol departed in 2024, and even as Boatwright’s plan shows signs of momentum (same-store sales have begun to tick back up again), there are open questions about Chipotle’s strategic direction.

— Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of tough

Adjective

That night, somewhere between a racist stranger, a free dessert, my girlfriend publicly shaming a man in a Mediterranean restaurant and our demanding cat, the City of Angels started to feel like home.

— Mayur Chauhan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
And the longer or more demanding the workout, the more important such fuel becomes.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of demanding

Adjective

Popularists, such as the data scientist David Shor and the writer Matt Yglesias, have advocated using rigorous polling and analytics to develop a Democratic agenda that appeals to the median voter.

— Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026
That’s led to more rigorous testing and higher standards, including a set of rules by the American Petroleum Institute that took effect at the start of the decade.

— Adam Ismail, The Drive, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of rigorous

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arduous

arduously

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“Arduous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arduous. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of arduous

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