EFFORTFUL Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

effortful

adjective

ˈe-fərt-fəl

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

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 But that shouldn’t look too effortful, or overly dependent on novelty or shallow surrealism. —

Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for effortful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for effortful

Adjective

Combining all of this in one material has been difficult because thermal control and signal control rely on very different properties.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 3 May 2026
Despite the removal of material, the architecture can result in a busy design and potentially make reading the time difficult.

— Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 3 May 2026