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brainwork

brainwork

1 3.9
Thinking hard to solve problems and come up with new ideas
  • noun
  • /ˈbreɪnˌwɜrk/
translation icon : esfuerzo mental
  • Successfully completing this project requires a lot of brainwork to solve complex problems.

Examples

  • Everyone else in Sherlock's life is quite surprised when he shows up with John because Sherlock typically does all of his brainwork alone.

    Blog text (31)
  • Who did all the brainwork here?

  • No, I always did the brainwork.

  • I did all the brainwork.

  • I've never forgotten what fun it was to write pages for IE4, how much more stuff you could do with a bit of JavaScript and some brainwork than you could in the Netscape of the day.

    Blog text (24)
  • We discovered a spot where an enormous tree had fallen, exposing the gnarled brainwork of its roots, and another two acres where there were no trees but only smooth sand hills.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • "After I did all the brainwork, Schrödinger went and told my cat-in-the-box paradox to some guy named Einstein as if he'd thought it up himself.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The team put in considerable brainwork to come up with innovative solutions for their client.

  • After much brainwork, she found the answer to the puzzle that had stumped everyone.

Synonyms

thinking
vsbrainwork
872 1.8

Careful use of your mind to consider something

is focused on active effort and problem solving rather than mere thought
brainpower
vsbrainwork
8 3.4

Mental ability to think and solve problems

is the active mental effort and activity rather than static ability
mental energy
vsbrainwork
4 3.9

The ability to think clearly and focus on a task

is the actual effort or activity produced when that capacity is used
headwork
vsbrainwork
1 5.8

Careful thinking that helps solve a problem

is broader mental activity that includes reasoning beyond careful problem solving

Antonyms

8 4.5

A time when someone is not working or active

How Mentally Demanding

brainwork
1 3.9
thinking
872 1.8

Surface Forms

brainwork singular
brainworks plural

Morphology

brainwork = brain + work (transparent) = brain + work

The compound directly combines 'brain' + 'work' to mean mental effort, a meaning accessible to learners who know both base words.

Etymology

Brainwork is a combination of brain and work, where brain means 'thinking' and work means 'effort'. So brainwork is the kind of effort you do with your mind, thinking hard to solve a problem.