as in wrought
to devote serious and sustained effort
the young lawyer labored most of the weekend over the difficult legal brief
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as in manufactured
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of labored
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Mar. 2025
Lots of labored stuff about riding a buggy or a cart with all sorts of people dressed in costume running around him.
—Bill Wyman, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
Callahan Molnar wrote that Beacon was admitted to an emergency pet hospital the previous day with symptoms that included stiffness, labored breathing and a fever, despite undergoing treatments such as anti-inflammatory medication and cold laser therapy.
—Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024
The leads are largely stuck sniping at each other between bouts of labored philosophizing and personal backstory, never coming close to a credible mutual rapport.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labored
Verb
The latter thrives during the occasionally labored long takes, leaning on her background in improvisational comedy to listen, react, and take command as needed.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Mar. 2025
Lots of labored stuff about riding a buggy or a cart with all sorts of people dressed in costume running around him.
—Bill Wyman, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
Callahan Molnar wrote that Beacon was admitted to an emergency pet hospital the previous day with symptoms that included stiffness, labored breathing and a fever, despite undergoing treatments such as anti-inflammatory medication and cold laser therapy.
—Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024
The leads are largely stuck sniping at each other between bouts of labored philosophizing and personal backstory, never coming close to a credible mutual rapport.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labored
Recent Examples of Synonyms for labored
Verb
-
The Bears offense struggled under coordinator Shane Waldron, so he was fired.—
Kevin Fishbain,
The Athletic,
27 Dec. 2024
-
When Barbra Streisand struggled with the replacement orchestrations during a recording session, the conductor had Cullen’s original scores on hand.—
Darryn King,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
But not Hochman, whose strained diplomacy has raised eyebrows.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 July 2025
-
The story of Mbappe’s move to the Bernabeu last summer and his strained relations with PSG could fill several tomes, given the intensity of Madrid’s almost decade-long pursuit of the forward — and the fallout continues to this day.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Verb
-
Those who worked with him always circled back to his genuine joy on the podium.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Dec. 2024
-
And the front and rear hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors worked extremely well, even going downhill, without any squealing whatsoever.—
Scott Kramer,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Eschewing a contrived set-up, Wax’s Izzy relates her story simply and directly to the audience.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
13 June 2025
-
That’s the setting where Diamond’s story unfolds, in a very contrived and forced manner — even by jukebox musical standards — as the therapist uses a book of the singer-songwriter’s lyrics as a launching pad to examine significant life moments.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
This grass chopper is easy to set up, runs quietly, boasts a solid battery life and automatic charging, and easily maps your mowing area (even with obstacles).—
Jade Chung-Lee,
PC Magazine,
12 July 2025
-
But this went from an idea that was an automatic community win to an example of desperate nickel and diming.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
Thankfully, Sedgwick and Bacon don’t just rely on their natural ease with one another, but infuse their characters with something real, even though the circumstances that bring them together feel somewhat forced.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
10 June 2025
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This feels a bit forced and corny, and the director becomes even more outlandish depicting Maggi’s dreams as their relationship feels fully unsalvageable: a rooster disturbs him in real life, then visits him in giant, anthropomorphized form in his dream to injure him or worse.—
David Katz,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
The story was too pat, too earnest, too self-flattering.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
-
Twain has long been accused of giving Huck Finn an overly pat, comic ending.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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Driving through deep water can also negatively affect a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
10 July 2025
-
The ocean water turns red, as a (usually unseen) mechanical shark chews up people in the surf or somehow on top of a boat.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Labored.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labored. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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