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
Sennecke’s effortful shift ultimately sent the Capitals into the Ducks’ end, where Husso stymied Connor McMichael on a breakaway.
—
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 6 Dec. 2025
The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
The film’s chief sin is its effortful posture of compassion for the plight of these boys, and those like them in the real world.
—Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Now, early, effortful gig jobs (like Uber and DoorDash) are on the decline, replaced by low-effort digital side gigs.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 6 Dec. 2025
The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
The film’s chief sin is its effortful posture of compassion for the plight of these boys, and those like them in the real world.
—Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Now, early, effortful gig jobs (like Uber and DoorDash) are on the decline, replaced by low-effort digital side gigs.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effortful
Adjective
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Anyone who has seen the way the space works today can recognize that there are a lot of families who find this very, very difficult right now.—
Anna Moeslein,
Glamour,
9 Mar. 2026
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Demonstrating that was difficult due to natural fluctuations in temperatures.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The still-to-close merger, announced on social media Tuesday, will maintain separate brands while sharing brewing facilities and other resources, helping both companies navigate a challenging craft beer industry and explore new opportunities for growth.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
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This means 26 wines, which has proven a challenging but really fun experience.—
Laura Ness,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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While minimally invasive procedures have improved cardiac care, the heart’s complex anatomy and constant motion require rigorous hands-on training to reduce procedural errors.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
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Samuels has offered up his own priorities, including safe, academically rigorous and truly integrated schools.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In 2008, Klay Thompson of Santa Margarita scored 37 points and made a record seven three-pointers at the notoriously tough Arco Arena in Sacramento to help the Eagles win the Division III title over Sacramento 72-55.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Punch made multiple tough baskets and got to the free-throw line as the Jayhawks struggled with his physicality.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Not all musicals will be as demanding as that.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
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My offspring are way more demanding.—
Allison Tibaldi,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Official statistics are hard to come by, but town residents — several of whom asked to be identified by only first names to protect their safety — estimated around 80 cars were set aflame in a municipality of just 20,000 people.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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In the absence of hard data, the kind that become available years or decades after a war, the temptation is to reach for analogies or proverbial wisdom, or any of the other heuristic shortcuts that the psychologist Daniel Kahneman thoroughly described in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Effortful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effortful. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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