effortful

adjective

ˈe-fərt-fəl How to pronounce effortful (audio)
Definition of effortfulnext
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort the book's abstruse subject matter and dense prose make for effortful reading

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of effortful However, theories about how people regulate their emotions suggest that, like any effortful psychological process, reappraisal involves multiple steps. — Christian Waugh, The Conversation, 12 May 2026 The same goes for anyone who finds visualization mentally effortful in a way that feels alerting rather than relaxing. — Angela Haupt, Time, 5 May 2026 But this Roundabout production at Studio 54 — the site of glittering debauchery of another era — just isn’t all that much fun, being mostly effortful, maddening and finally exhausting. — Frank Rizzo, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for effortful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effortful
  1. difficult
  2. challenging
  3. rigorous
  4. tough
  5. demanding
  6. hard
Adjective
  • Being undefeated after a trio of difficult opening matches can only be seen as a positive, even if Newcastle’s obvious shortcomings require addressing if that run is to be prolonged.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Engineers need flight data on propulsion, aerodynamics, thermal management, guidance and other subsystems under conditions that are difficult to reproduce on the ground.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • Eric Loucks, the director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown, pointed out that a person can have a challenging experience during meditation and still find their overall meditation practice to be beneficial.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
  • For something more hands-on, Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville has a challenging kart circuit where karts can reach 50 mph or more.
    — Chris Teague, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of challenging
Adjective
  • Seager's team is providing the AFN, along with their ongoing, rigorous science preparation.
    — Leonard David, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The 2022 Nature Biotechnology review urged rigorous clinical testing, and later reviews continued to flag reliability and standardization issues.
    — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of rigorous
Adjective
  • Space-grade electronics will cost more, and the ball’s shell—made from a material tough enough to roll over steel shards and withstand minus 184 °C temperatures—has never been evaluated in lunar extremes.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Democratic leaders face tough decisions on where to spend limited party resources to win the Senate majority.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • That night, somewhere between a racist stranger, a free dessert, my girlfriend publicly shaming a man in a Mediterranean restaurant and our demanding cat, the City of Angels started to feel like home.
    — Mayur Chauhan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • And the longer or more demanding the workout, the more important such fuel becomes.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of demanding
Adjective
  • Will his veteran line trust him to have the answers when things get hard?
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The death of country music, movie, theme park and, frankly, all-around icon Dolly Parton hit a lot of people hard.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of hard

Browse Nearby Words

effort
effortful
effortfulness
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Cite this Entry

“Effortful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effortful. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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