toilsome
1
8.9
- adjective
- /ˈtɔɪl.səm/
:
arduo
- From the dark opening of the worn insides of the shoes, the toilsome tread of the worker stands forth.
Examples
-
It was as if a chirping brook upon a toilsome way set bleeding feet to minuets without the knowing why.
-
Ten years of hardship and exhausting work have made Matilda haggard. MATILDA: I've had some toilsome times, and all because of you. FORESTIER: Because of me?
Academic text (2011) -
Is that too toilsome for you?
Fiction book (1993) -
It was a toilsome marathon of carnage.
-
Moira did not know how she was able to rise and finally make her toilsome way to the side porch where Mr. Kwis was waiting with anxious dread.
Fiction book (1994) -
Work and play tend to overlap toward the middle of the continuum when work can be pleasant and play can be toilsome; similarly, at the drudgery end, it is all constraint, and at the frivolity end of the continuum, the freedom becomes license.
Academic text (2002) -
The laborers faced a toilsome task as they worked through the hot sun to finish the construction.
-
Her toilsome effort to complete the project paid off when she finally received an award for her dedication.
-
They embarked on a toilsome journey through the dense forest, struggling against the challenging terrain.
Synonyms
∞
1.1
Needing a lot of effort and often strict or severe
221
2.1
Hard to do or understand
30
7.0
Very hard and tiring, needing a lot of physical effort
29
7.7
Very difficult to do and needing a lot of effort over a long time
10
6.8
A task or process that needs a lot of time and hard work
1
5.8
Very hard physical work that makes your body tired
Needing a lot of hard work and careful attention
Hard to do and leaves you very tired
Antonyms
How Hard
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word toilsome is built from the simple word toil meaning 'hard work' and the ending -some meaning 'full of', just like in troublesome. So toilsome describes something that is 'full of hard work' or very tiring.