1
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
faced with the toilsome task of cleaning out her deceased father's homestead
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in challenging
requiring much time, effort, or careful attention
this is the most toilsome part of the construction, so we'll go slowly to make sure we're doing it right
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of toilsome
Meanwhile, Republicans lacked the votes to pass anything so their amendments tended to be trollish and toilsome fliers meant to either own the libs or just annoy the legislators.
—
Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2022
Though the third quarter was significantly better for Netflix than its previous quarter, the company signaled that there could be toilsome times ahead.
—Natalie Jarvey, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2019
Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2022
Though the third quarter was significantly better for Netflix than its previous quarter, the company signaled that there could be toilsome times ahead.
—Natalie Jarvey, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toilsome
Adjective
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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
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To be sure, the last few years have been more challenging, with Gucci rapidly losing momentum — and Kering’s debt load swelling after an acquisition spree that included Creed, Maui Jim, a 30 percent stake in Valentino, and large chunks of prime real estate.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
9 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, gig engineering is becoming an attractive but challenging path.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
9 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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Bassini has observed the circuit of influencers and hopefuls who try a more demanding don’t-you-know-who-I-am approach, only to see them get turned away unceremoniously each time.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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By contrast, six Black women have journeyed to outer space as astronauts, a job that is equally demanding and risky and for which the odds of being selected are very low.—
Gena Cox,
Forbes.com,
9 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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But by opening night, the movement will feel more natural to them and what now looks arduous will appear fluid and natural, if not absolutely effortless.—
David Lyman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Sep. 2025
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The project takes place over the course of a year, showing the preparation required for the arduous experience as the climbers train alongside such prominent figures as Free Solo subject Alex Honnold and renowned adventurer Philip Henderson.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
3 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
Adjective
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Robots can master human actions within minutes, skipping the laborious task of engineers having to program them to perform those tasks.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Sep. 2025
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Technological advancements have long reshaped the job market by taking on more laborious and dangerous tasks.—
ILYA Likhov,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Toilsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toilsome. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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