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Glite Dictionary
💼 A strict person 🥊 A hard blow 💪 A hard task
ballbuster

ballbuster

1 9.1
A very difficult task that needs a lot of effort
  • noun
  • /ˈbɔːlˌbʌstər/
  • Offensive
translation icon : paliza

Examples

  • and then the job's not just a ballbuster.

    Brubaker (1980)

  • That's a ballbuster.

    Crazy Heart (2009)

  • Completing that marathon is going to be a real ballbuster for me.

  • The final exam turned out to be a serious ballbuster that I wasn't prepared for.

  • This project is a ballbuster; it requires more effort than I anticipated.

Synonyms

heavy lifting
vsballbuster
27 3.6

Hard work that needs a lot of physical effort or responsibility

is used more broadly for any demanding task not only heavy work
heavy lift
vsballbuster
  • US
2 6.8

A difficult task that needs a lot of effort

applies more to any exhausting activity rather than formal responsibilities
ball-buster
vsballbuster
  • NSFW
1 8.9

A job or task that is hard and makes you very tired

means the same idea but uses slightly different adjectives
ball-breaker
vsballbuster
  • Offensive
1 9.1

A very hard task or job that is tiring and difficult

focuses on difficulty and exhaustion rather than describing people
backbreaking task
vsballbuster
5.3

A very hard job that makes your body very tired

stresses general demanding nature not only physical strain
snorter
vsballbuster
  • Slang
9.8

A very difficult problem or task that tests your skill

is more neutral and not always informal in tone

Antonyms

breeze
  • Informal
33 2.1

An easy thing to do

How Difficult

ballbuster
  • Offensive
1 9.1
ordeal
137 4.8
task
∞ 1.0
challenge
∞ 3.1

Surface Forms

ballbuster singular
ballbusters plural

Morphology

ballbuster = ball + buster (semi-transparent) = ball + buster

The compound denotes a figuratively extreme or exhausting thing (one that 'busts balls'); the extension from the literal sense is metaphorical.

Etymology

The word ballbuster can also mean a very hard or very tiring task because the same idea of ball plus buster suggests something that would 'bust' or wear you out. That's why runners or students call a difficult race or exam a ballbuster.