PAINSTAKINGLY Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

painstakingly

adverb

as in meticulously

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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 painstakingly Some of the most striking features at Château de Cîteaux are the paintings and frescoes painstakingly restored by conservator Alice Gardien in the hotel’s restaurant. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 4 Aug. 2026 And helping those with low-level crimes and non-convictions on their records used to be a painstakingly slow and expensive process. — August 3, NPR, 3 Aug. 2026 What’s less obvious, though, is the arch-support insole in each pair, which has been painstakingly developed to keep your foot supported and pain-free, even after long stretches on your feet. — Alison Syrett Cleary, InStyle, 1 Aug. 2026 The Scottish and American teams piece together their theory painstakingly over time, poring over clues as small as a torn clothing label and negotiating every single disclosure with their counterparts across borders. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 This painstakingly restored 4K version looks and sounds gorgeous; cinematographer Dante Spinotti’s work glows with saturated vibrancy, and Michel Rubini and the Reds’ score vibrates on a spooky synth frequency. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026 Specialist decorators have spent thousands of hours painstakingly refreshing the paintwork, reupholstering the furnishings, and replacing the silk wall-hangings with fabric that matches the designs from over seven decades earlier. — Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 29 July 2026 What follows is a painstakingly precise preparation using the Portrait Bar’s recipe. — Spencer Whaley, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 The Sunflower Bean guitarist had spent the past two months writing and recording dozens of new songs, painstakingly tracking every instrument and vocal part on his own. — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for painstakingly

Adverb

Once their spring blooms are complete, Aggrey meticulously collects the seed pods from the clarkias, gilias and phacelias, processes the seeds and packages them for gifting before the subsequent spring.

— Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
The vaccine schedule is meticulously designed from decades of research, timing doses to protect children when most vulnerable, not arbitrarily.

— Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of meticulously

Adverb

But rather than further ratchet up the stakes in the final minutes, the episode closes with Rosemary exhaustively — and rather hilariously — going over an extensive genealogical document for Tom and Patricia.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026
Have these people never read, say, The Feminine Mystique, which exhaustively cataloged the despair of mid-century stay-at-home mothers?

— Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026

Definition of exhaustively

Adverb

One way in which Wounaan do so is conscientiously sharing and redistributing food, money, wisdom and the like to foster equity.

— Chenier Carpio Opua, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2026
By thinking locally, building conscientiously, and operationalizing sustainability in our deployment choices, AI users, companies, and developers can also help ensure that the infrastructure powering our future doesn’t cost us the earth.

— Sasha Luccioni, Time, 3 July 2026

Definition of conscientiously

Adverb

The easiest way to lower your exposure to the cyclospora parasite is by washing your hands and surfaces doing food preparation, by washing raw ingredients in cold water, and by thoroughly cooking fruits and vegetables.

— Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
If hunting or skinning animals, use gloves, and cook game meat thoroughly before eating.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of thoroughly

Adverb

Start your day with a delicious coffee and a pastry—two things that locals take very seriously—at one of its many hip cafés (Hart Bakery is one of the best).

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
Serhiy joked he had been discharged from the military after being seriously wounded on the front line.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 31 July 2026

Definition of seriously

Adverb

The Child has placed his foot on the basket of yarns and has grasped the yarnwinder and gazes attentively at the four spokes that are in the form of a cross.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
At one point during the BBC’s broadcast of the event, as shared by a fan on X, the cameras cut to show Kate explaining something about the match to her daughter, who looked on attentively and nodded.

— Meg Walters, InStyle, 14 July 2026

Definition of attentively

Adverb

And there is a shocking dearth of evidence to the contrary, given how ardently Peters and her supporters have clung to this narrative for the past six years.

— The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 7 July 2026
Kevan Harris, an associate professor of sociology at UCLA who has studied the Iranian diaspora, said some of the ardently monarchist Iranians became disillusioned and demobilized when the war’s initial objective of regime change failed.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026

Definition of ardently

Adverb

In order to earnestly kick-start a new era for West Ham United, impending majority shareholder Daniel Kretinsky felt an important matter needed to be addressed.

— Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 18 July 2026
The scene, which is played earnestly and runs a tad shorter in length than the Kens’ Barbie serenade to Matchbox 20, was always scripted to include Oasis’s most popular song.

— Devon Ivie, Vulture, 17 July 2026

Definition of earnestly

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“Painstakingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painstakingly. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of painstakingly

adverb

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