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
But lawmakers did see progress on some key items Friday, including on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap that has proven to be an arduous battle between the Senate GOP and House members from high-tax states.
—
Al Weaver, The Hill, 28 June 2025
It’s been an arduous journey of more than seven years from Invasion of Privacy to Cardi B’s sophomore album.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 26 June 2025
The mission proved to be much more arduous than expected for her and her small crew of four, all of whom are first tour aviators.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 11 July 2025
And this is going to be long, arduous work to find all the remains.
—Obed Manuel, NPR, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for arduous
Al Weaver, The Hill, 28 June 2025
It’s been an arduous journey of more than seven years from Invasion of Privacy to Cardi B’s sophomore album.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 26 June 2025
The mission proved to be much more arduous than expected for her and her small crew of four, all of whom are first tour aviators.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 11 July 2025
And this is going to be long, arduous work to find all the remains.
—Obed Manuel, NPR, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for arduous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arduous
Adjective
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Some students may face family challenges that affect their ability to get to school, and some changes to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test, such as its move to online instead of paper form, could be difficult for students who only access computers at school, Maldonado said.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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Diseases that are difficult to manage without early intervention, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer, place a significant burden on health care budgets and patient quality of life.—
Kim Praitano,
Sun Sentinel,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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Students who have a plan can better anticipate what to expect and manage their time and energy, even during the challenging moments. Don’t have a strategy?—
Micki Meyer,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Aug. 2025
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In life and the garden: Try to be tolerant, don’t demand perfection and figure out how to improve challenging, tough situations.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Lamont, who had proposed boosting special education aid by $40 million — but not until July 2026 — countered that the state budget already was on pace to exceed the budget cap and that legislators needed to make tough choices and trim spending.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
2 Aug. 2025
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Stage eight on Saturday will mark the start of a tough weekend of reckoning for the GC riders in the mountains to conclude the Tour.—
Jessica Hopkins,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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While speed-scouting for deer usually requires boots-on-the-ground, pheasant scouting isn’t usually so demanding.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
30 July 2025
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The short schedule also gave Brie and Franco the inspiration to throw themselves into the more physically demanding aspects of the roles.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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Ozzy Osbourne shared 3 children with first wife Thelma Riley The father of six children over two marriages, Osbourne has been vocal about how rigorous touring and alcohol use affected his family life.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
23 July 2025
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The 22-year-old flew to the United States and went through the DCC’s rigorous tryouts, eventually becoming one of six new rookies to join the 36-member squad, out of thousands who auditioned.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.—
Alia Wong,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2023
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Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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Minnesota Twins – Faced with formidable financial worries, the former home of Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Rod Carew, and Jim Kaat spent the deadline dumping salaries.—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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The bullpen, led by closer Edwin Díaz, looks formidable.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arduous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arduous. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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