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strenuous

strenuous

34 4.9
Needing a lot of effort or energy
  • adjective
  • /ˈstrɛnjuəs/
translation icon : exigente
  • I'm tired and it's been quite a strenuous morning for me.
  • strenuous effort
  • strenuous activity
  • strenuous exercise

And that one isn't even the most strenuous test in this room.

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Examples

  • Have you engaged in any strenuous physical activity within the last eight hours?

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Never in his life had he done anything as strenuous as fighting this monster.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • That takes effort that after a strenuous hour of focus on something gives you a a beautiful feeling of having done something hard.

  • Yes, it must have been quite a strenuous evening.

  • So I knew swimming was going to be strenuous on my body, but man was that a good workout.

  • Therefore, it is advisable to avoid strenuous exercise within 6 hours of going to bed.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Getting established would be a long and strenuous period, but exhilarating as well.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • In the brochure, they call this a strenuous hike for experienced hikers.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • A strenuous workout, Jordan.

  • After a long day of hiking, I felt exhausted from the strenuous climb up the mountain.

Synonyms

hard
vsstrenuous
1.1

Needing a lot of effort and often strict or severe

centres on heavy effort without implying harsh attitude or rules
difficult
vsstrenuous
1.6

Not easy to do or understand

adds a sense of high energy use beyond simple difficulty
tough
vsstrenuous
2.6

Hard to do or understand and needing a lot of effort

emphasizes demanding effort or energy rather than general hardness
serious
vsstrenuous
629 3.2

Needing a lot of effort or careful thought

is more general for heavy effort including physical tasks
heavy
vsstrenuous
221 2.1

Hard to do or understand

means great effort or demand but not only physical intensity
challenging
vsstrenuous
183 4.4

Hard to do and needing a lot of effort

focuses on high effort or energy rather than testing ability alone
intensive
vsstrenuous
156 4.3

Needing a lot of work, care, or money at the same time

refers to high effort broadly, not focused on short intense periods
vigorous
vsstrenuous
87 4.1

Having a lot of strength and energy

requires much energy but may lack the same focus on difficulty
grueling
vsstrenuous
30 7.0

Very hard and tiring, needing a lot of physical effort

is very hard but not always as exhausting to the extreme
arduous
vsstrenuous
29 7.7

Very difficult to do and needing a lot of effort over a long time

demands much effort but not necessarily for a long duration
rugged
vsstrenuous
14 5.3

Very difficult and needing a lot of strength to keep going

demands much effort but is not limited to harsh physical conditions
laborious
vsstrenuous
10 6.8

A task or process that needs a lot of time and hard work

is about strong effort but not necessarily tedious or long
taxing
vsstrenuous
5 6.8

Needing a lot of physical or mental effort

also needs much effort but may not always tire deeply
effortful
vsstrenuous
1 6.9

Needing a lot of physical or mental work

covers high energy use but without stressing measurable exertion
straining
vsstrenuous
1 5.0

Needing a lot of effort and making you very tired

uses a lot of effort but not always to the breaking point
demanding
vsstrenuous
4.1

Needing a lot of time, effort, or attention

focuses on high effort or energy rather than time or skill alone

Antonyms

1.0

Not hard to do, understand, or achieve

26 2.6

Done easily and smoothly without hard work

How Strenuous

exhausting
92 3.2
arduous
29 7.7
demanding
4.1
strenuous
34 4.9
moderate
415 3.3
easy
1.0

Surface Forms

strenuous positive

Morphology

strenuous = strenu + ous

The visible stem 'strenu-' is not a productive or recognizable English base for learners, so the meaning 'requiring great effort' cannot be derived transparently from the parts; '-ous' only marks an adjective.

Etymology

The word strenuous comes from the old Latin word strenuus, which meant 'active' or 'energetic'. So a strenuous activity is one that needs a lot of energy and effort, like a very 'strong' push or hard work.