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
Some of his films are insufficiently grounded in drama; others undercut ample drama with effortful direction.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
Another standout scene — arguably Pearce’s finest work here — is Warren’s visit to the home of his son Adrian (Toby Wallace, terrific), during which his effortful geniality crumbles in the face of cold distance that builds into cruel betrayal.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 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
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
Another standout scene — arguably Pearce’s finest work here — is Warren’s visit to the home of his son Adrian (Toby Wallace, terrific), during which his effortful geniality crumbles in the face of cold distance that builds into cruel betrayal.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 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
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effortful
Adjective
-
The Bulls look to be the best team in the Group of Five conferences, while the Gators and coach Billy Napier are now under pressure with a difficult SEC schedule ahead.—
Erick Smith,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Usually the final day of boot camp is most difficult.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The next job frontier Gen Z workers are finding it more and more challenging to fetch entry-level jobs as AI gets better at taking those jobs over.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
2 Sep. 2025
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But the treatment is challenging and time-consuming.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The 2025 World Beer Awards, known for their rigorous blind tastings, crowned Germany's Wolf Gang, a surprising black IPA from zum WØL BrauArt, as the top IPA.—
Brad Japhe,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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The study reports that all test results, including algorithm design, simulations, and flight data, underwent rigorous validation.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That’s a tough dichotomy to bridge, but the new 2025 911 Carrera GTS achieves it brilliantly.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
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The tough stainless steel loops are reinforced and designed to remain rust-free even after years of use, and a three number combination lock will be easy to remember and difficult to crack.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The significant weight loss and the dramatic nature of the role suggest a deep commitment to his acting career, which makes a return to the physically demanding world of professional wrestling seem unlikely in the near future.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
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Wheaton has opened up about how he was bullied into his acting career by his overly demanding mother and physically aggressive father.—
Sezin Devi Koehler September 1,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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One of the most important goals is creating a society where everyone can have the ability to succeed through education, hard work, and entrepreneurship.—
Kristen Edgreen Kaufman,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Developed by AeroVironment, the 20kW LOCUST Laser Weapon System (LWS) identifies, tracks, and engages a wide variety of targets with hard-kill high energy laser.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Effortful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effortful. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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