backbreaking task
- noun
:
tarea agotadora
- She completed the backbreaking task in record time.
Examples
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The workers faced the backbreaking task of rebuilding the bridge after the storm.
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Harvesting all the crops before the rain proved to be a backbreaking task.
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After hours of shoveling snow, he finally finished the backbreaking task.
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Moving all those boxes was a backbreaking task.
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Clearing out the old warehouse was a backbreaking task that took all weekend.
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Lifting heavy boxes all day turned the move into a backbreaking task for the team.
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For the volunteers, rebuilding the playground after the storm was a backbreaking task that tested their strength.
Synonyms
29
3.4
A difficult task that needs a lot of effort
27
3.6
Hard work that needs a lot of physical effort or responsibility
10
5.3
Boring, simple jobs that are necessary and take a lot of time
4
5.3
A situation or task that is hard to do
2
4.4
Very hard work that makes your back ache
2
6.8
A difficult task that needs a lot of effort
1
8.9
A job or task that is hard and makes you very tired
1
7.0
A task that is very hard or makes your back hurt
1
9.1
A very difficult task that needs a lot of effort
1
9.1
A very hard task or job that is tiring and difficult
A difficult task that takes a long time and a lot of effort
Antonyms
How Difficult
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'extremely difficult and physically exhausting' is directly derivable from combining 'backbreaking' (metaphorically causing someone to 'break their back', i.e., very strenuous) with 'task' (a job). This is a productive, predictable compound with cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer the overall meaning.
Etymology
The expression backbreaking task paints a simple picture: breaking and back suggest work so heavy, like bending and lifting again and again, that it could 'break' your back. So it means 'extremely difficult and physically exhausting'.