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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Recent Examples of effortful
Now came the surprise of my effortful steps, the shock of how unyielding the dress’s shell was, as if I were being held in place by a firm hand.
—
Han Ong, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
What a transformation that would’ve been, of the effortful, unchanging days.
—Nell Freudenberger, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Embodiment comes through repetition, when the nervous system begins to learn safety and repair becomes a natural reflex rather than an effortful performance.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
But that shouldn’t look too effortful, or overly dependent on novelty or shallow surrealism.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Han Ong, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
What a transformation that would’ve been, of the effortful, unchanging days.
—Nell Freudenberger, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Embodiment comes through repetition, when the nervous system begins to learn safety and repair becomes a natural reflex rather than an effortful performance.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
But that shouldn’t look too effortful, or overly dependent on novelty or shallow surrealism.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effortful
Adjective
-
The verdict was delivered amid difficult personal circumstances for Mette-Marit, Hoiby’s mother, who needs a lung transplant for pulmonary fibrosis.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
-
Otherwise, those prospects start becoming large contracts that stand more difficult to move or aggregate.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Inmates challenging execution methods must suggest an alternative method.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
-
Lee, who relieved fans by hitting his old high notes on night one, sounded even stronger on night two, gleefully tearing into the most challenging corners of their catalog.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Simplifi meets rigorous security certifications, such as SOC 2, which are part of a comprehensive external audit that assesses the security, confidentiality and privacy of a program’s data.—
Amy DeYoung,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
-
Every article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
With the when, where and who will play whom at the 2026 World Cup all locked in, how do the groups rank from the easiest to the toughest?—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
-
Opening a restaurant in downtown Boise is a tough racket.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Autonomy can absorb repetitive, lower-value, or cognitively demanding tasks so crews can focus on judgment, decision-making, and mission execution – the things humans still do best.—
Tim Burns,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
-
The fuchsia tone is, of course, the most attention-demanding, and black is always a safe bet—especially for more formal events.—
Alexandra Malmed,
InStyle,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
All these years, the stigma stuck no matter how hard the family fought to change the narrative.—
Yumi Asada,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
In lieu of hard liquor, the winner of each round got a blast from a Champagne squirt gun into their mouth.—
Danielle Dorsey,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Effortful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effortful. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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