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
If this were a Bond movie, these characters would cross the entire distance by air, in first class, in the split-second gap between scenes, but Pullman leans into the arduous business of travel.
—
Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
For the filmmakers working in the region over the past two years, it’s been a long, arduous road to reach audiences, as the war impacted their physical productions and made potential distributors wary of facing political backlash for releasing their films.
—Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
Experts, developers, and CEOs of AI companies make bold claims about future trajectories, from the elimination of arduous labor and the increase in human longevity to the potential existential threats to humanity.
—Yoshua Bengio, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Rebuilding will be long and arduous.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arduous
Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
For the filmmakers working in the region over the past two years, it’s been a long, arduous road to reach audiences, as the war impacted their physical productions and made potential distributors wary of facing political backlash for releasing their films.
—Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
Experts, developers, and CEOs of AI companies make bold claims about future trajectories, from the elimination of arduous labor and the increase in human longevity to the potential existential threats to humanity.
—Yoshua Bengio, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Rebuilding will be long and arduous.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arduous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arduous
Adjective
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Cue, Helm’s first rejection, abandonment, difficult emotions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
This character was actually quite difficult for me.—
Gavin J Blair,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Even at the show itself, some onlookers had found Lantink’s first non-couture collection from the house for a decade or so too challenging for their sensibilities to compute.—
Luke Leitch,
Vogue,
28 Oct. 2025
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While its not uncommon for companies to establish new garment factories, new mills are more challenging.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Whether or not Takaichi's administration is as tough on immigration issues as her campaign rhetoric suggests, some observers warn that failing to actively invest in and integrate foreign nationals into society will have lasting harm on Asia’s second-largest economy.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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Without a consolidation of that vote in the final stretch, Mamdani appears tough to beat.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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One of the tale’s bitterest ironies is that Victor will become a more demanding, more neglectful, and vastly more destructive father figure than Leopold ever was.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
28 Oct. 2025
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Check-in bullies are the most demanding hotel guests.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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All in all, even a moderate approach was like 12-hours of rigorous cardio.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
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His label pioneered the industry’s intensive training system, recruiting performers as young as elementary school age and putting them through years of rigorous preparation.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Developed by scientists at TU Delft, the algorithm can help perform tasks at hard-to-reach infrastructure, like offshore wind turbines.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
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Creatures crawling out of gunk, their legs extending, their toe-webs rescinding, amoebic eyes getting harder.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Mesidor has formed a formidable one-two punch on the Hurricanes’ defensive line with Rueben Bain Jr.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
25 Oct. 2025
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Jazz In recent years, the pianist Vijay Iyer and the drummer Tyshawn Sorey, defining composers and leaders of contemporary jazz, have become one of its most formidable pairings.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arduous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arduous. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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