ENGLISH
REFERENCE

painstaking

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ˈpeɪnˌsteɪkɪŋ// UK //pˈeɪnsteɪkɪŋ// painstak·ing

adj. describing work that is done with great care and attention to detail. It usually takes a lot of time and effort to finish.

adj. characterised by extreme care, precision, and thoroughness in execution. Often implies a laborious process that requires significant mental or physical effort.


SIMPLE

The artist spent painstaking hours painting the small details.

CONTEXTUAL

The researchers conducted a painstaking analysis of the data to ensure no small error went unnoticed.

COMPLEX

The restoration of the ancient manuscript required painstaking attention to the delicate ink, as any sudden movement could cause the fragile pages to tear.

Synonyms
Origin

From pains + taking; see take pains. The /ˈpeɪnˌsteɪkɪŋ/ pronunciation which dominates in the United States suggests a reanalysis of the word as pain + staking.

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