laborious

adjective

la·​bo·​ri·​ous lə-ˈbȯr-ē-əs 

1

a

: involving, requiring, or characterized by hard and sustained effort : arduous

Overland travel was not an adventurous communal leap, but a laborious, individual trek.

—Daniel J. Boorstin

Making a telescope mirror is a long and laborious process.

—David Devoss and Eric Sander

b

: characterized by long, detailed elaboration : tedious

Much of the middle of the book is a laborious account of the scouring of the ocean floor that led to the discovery of the Titanic.

—The Economist

2

: devoted to labor : industrious

We have the greatest riches, the greatest fertility, … the most laborious population.

—Joseph Conrad

laboriously adverb

laboriousness noun

Synonyms

• active
• assiduous
• bustling
• busy
• diligent
• employed
• engaged
• hopping
• industrious
• occupied
• sedulous
• tied-up
• working

Examples of laborious in a Sentence

a slow and laborious process

the volunteers have been commendably laborious in their cleanup of the beach

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s a satisfying rhythm to these tasks, and the game makes even the most laborious chores feel worthwhile. —George Yang, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2025

At the Japanese factory, the pieces go through a slower, more laborious production process than other pairs, via a variety of hand touches such as dyeing process, and distressing. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2025

Snow shoveling — a laborious chore has become a routine activity for millions of Americans after a deadly winter storm covered swaths of the country with fresh snow over the last couple of days. —Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025

Unlike in-person voting, which requires signing in, taking a ballot, filling it out and feeding it into a tabulator, counting an absentee ballot is a laborious process. —M.l. Elrick, Detroit Free Press, 3 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

laborious

adjective

la·​bo·​ri·​ous lə-ˈbōr-ē-əs 

-ˈbȯr-

1

: devoted to work : industrious

2

: requiring hard effort

laboriously adverb

laboriousness noun