Word
laborious
Phoneticsla·bo·ri·ous, stress on the second syllable
US/ɫəˈbɔɹiəs/
UK/lɐbˈɔːɹɪəs/
Definition
adj. describing a task that is very tiring, difficult, or takes a long time to finish. You use this when something requires a lot of hard work.
adj. requiring great physical or mental effort; tedious and exhausting. Often used to describe processes that are slow or involve repetitive, difficult tasks.
Examples
“The manual data entry was a laborious task.”
“The researchers spent several months on a laborious process of cross-referencing every single document in the archive.”
“While the initial concept was simple, the execution proved laborious, requiring the team to manually verify thousands of data points before the final report could be published.”
Examples
simple
“The manual data entry was a laborious task.”
contextual
“The researchers spent several months on a laborious process of cross-referencing every single document in the archive.”
complex
“While the initial concept was simple, the execution proved laborious, requiring the team to manually verify thousands of data points before the final report could be published.”
Real-World Examples
“If something new is found, the species will be described scientifically and given a name—a laborious process that can often take a couple of years.” “Instead of toiling through trial and error, scientists can let the machine run through laborious processes in its virtual environment, leaving the human to do the final checks and connect the dots.” Etymology
From Old French laborios, from Latin laboriosus. By surface analysis, labor + -ious
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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