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Glite Dictionary
to be at pains

to be at pains

3 7.7
To try very hard to do something carefully
  • idiom
  • Formal
translation icon : hacer un gran esfuerzo
  • The teacher was at pains to ensure every student understood the lesson before moving on.
  • at pains to point
  • at pains to discredit
  • at pains to show

Examples

  • Lord Jersey had been at pains to explain this tactical lapse to her.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Why should this be the case when Stoker is at pains to suggest an alternative reading for her infection?

    Academic text (2007)

  • Partners on both sides are at pains to disguise their disappointment.

    Blog text (25)

  • Skyler kept up and followed, but he was at pains to keep up, running as fast as he could.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Now, that's just one view, as Chris was at pains to stress.

  • And Saeed is at pains to make a distinction, therefore, between truth and value.

  • Indeed, and the Lord Chamberlain was at pains to stress that the spirit of the occasion will be quite different.

    The Queen (2006)

  • But Bourriaud is at pains to distance contemporary work from that of previous generations.

    Academic text (2004)

  • In fact, he is at pains to point out to current rulers that the New Jerusalem is no threat to them.

    Academic text (2018)

  • As statisticians are at pains to point out, coincidence does not imply causality.

    Academic text (1992)

Synonyms

to work at
vsto be at pains
489 2.3

To try hard to get better at or finish something over time

implies stronger careful or thorough effort rather than general steady work
to take pains
vsto be at pains
8 5.8

Try hard and be careful when doing something

is the same idea but usually in a different grammatical form
to take great pains
vsto be at pains
  • Formal
6 5.2

Make a lot of effort and be careful about small details

has identical meaning but uses a different phrase form
to put one's shoulder to the wheel
vsto be at pains
  • Informal
2 7.5

To start working very hard to reach a goal

stresses careful, sustained effort rather than sudden physical start
to put one's shoulder into
vsto be at pains
  • Informal
1 6.8

To work very hard and use a lot of energy

focuses more on careful, thorough effort than energetic force

Antonyms

negligent
58 5.3

Not taking proper care and causing harm or risk

careless
14 1.0

A lack of attention that causes mistakes or harm

How Careful

to be at pains
  • Formal
3 7.7
to be careful
979 1.0
careless
14 1.0

Surface Forms

be at pains infinitive
was at pains past
been at pains past participle
being at pains present participle
is at pains third person singular

Morphology

be + at + pains

The meaning 'to make a great effort' follows directly from combining 'be' (to be in a state) + 'at' (locative/state marker) + 'pains' (careful effort); it literally means 'to be in a state of effort/care'. Although somewhat formal, this compositional pattern is predictable and a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings can readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Be at pains may come from the idea of someone taking pains, working so carefully and hard that it almost hurts. So saying someone 'is at pains' means they make a big effort or are very careful to do something.