laborious

adjective

la·​bo·​ri·​ous lə-ˈbȯr-ē-əs 

1

a

: involving, requiring, or characterized by hard and sustained effort : arduous

Overland travel was not an adventurous communal leap, but a laborious, individual trek.

—Daniel J. Boorstin

Making a telescope mirror is a long and laborious process.

—David Devoss and Eric Sander

b

: characterized by long, detailed elaboration : tedious

Much of the middle of the book is a laborious account of the scouring of the ocean floor that led to the discovery of the Titanic.

—The Economist

2

: devoted to labor : industrious

We have the greatest riches, the greatest fertility, … the most laborious population.

—Joseph Conrad

laboriously adverb

laboriousness noun

Synonyms

• active
• assiduous
• bustling
• busy
• diligent
• employed
• engaged
• hopping
• industrious
• occupied
• sedulous
• tied-up
• working

Examples of laborious in a Sentence

a slow and laborious process

the volunteers have been commendably laborious in their cleanup of the beach

Recent Examples on the Web

But there is one catch: right now, creating these cells into useful tissues is a laborious process that can cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars per patient. —Alex Knapp, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

Different employment visas and green cards are far more laborious and expensive to apply for, and many clergy don’t qualify. —Giovanna Dell’orto, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2024

Above them, the sky was fat with clouds, spewing an uncomfortable humidity that made moving feel laborious and dizzying. —Ruby Opalka, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2024

This makes the harvesting of their fruit laborious and time-consuming. —Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

laborious

adjective

la·​bo·​ri·​ous lə-ˈbōr-ē-əs 

-ˈbȯr-

1

: devoted to work : industrious

2

: requiring hard effort

laboriously adverb

laboriousness noun