as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
the book's abstruse subject matter and dense prose make for effortful reading
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of effortful
Writing, too, is mirthless and effortful.
—
Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025
The director and star’s efforts may have lifted the German-language edition, but this static, lost-in-translation revamp just comes off as effortful, for little reward.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025
Sometimes, stars on SNL are born of effortful attention-seeking.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025
Igor’s eyes were cloudy, and his chest rattled with effortful breathing.
—Brandon Taylor, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025
The director and star’s efforts may have lifted the German-language edition, but this static, lost-in-translation revamp just comes off as effortful, for little reward.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025
Sometimes, stars on SNL are born of effortful attention-seeking.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025
Igor’s eyes were cloudy, and his chest rattled with effortful breathing.
—Brandon Taylor, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effortful
Adjective
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This deep understanding of local transportation patterns would have been difficult with rapid multi-city expansion.—
Tima Bansal,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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But even though scientists have been able to discover thousands of planets orbiting stars beyond our solar system in recent years, including some around Proxima Centauri, which is fairly a dim star, it's been difficult to go planet-hunting around Alpha Centauri A and B, which orbit each other.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Taking the most challenging courses available — like AP, IB, honors, or dual enrollment classes — signals preparedness for college-level work.—
Liz Doe Stone,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Because of this consistent advocacy, the Mayor selected me to help lead efforts to move Council forward through this challenging time.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Every insurance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of insurance products.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
15 Aug. 2025
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While the certification was not specifically a result of litigation, pursuing rigorous, third-party validation of AI practices is increasingly viewed as an industry best practice.—
Marc Blythe,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Even if increasing competition and financial obstruction have influenced summer recruitment, making this season’s challenges tougher, the confidence in Unai Emery and Villa’s football department remains unerring.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
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Unlike Trump, they aren’t charmed by the Kremlin’s tough guy.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Baldwin has done it while playing the most difficult and demanding position on the diamond, mentally in terms of daily meetings and film study, and physically from the toll of working beneath pads in the summer heat and getting nicked up from foul tips, collisions and occasional wayward swings.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
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This has come as a result of America being too demanding and being very political.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 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
Cite this Entry
“Effortful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effortful. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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