toilsome

adjective

toil·​some ˈtȯi(-ə)l-səm 

: marked by or full of toil or fatigue : laborious

a toilsome task

toilsomely adverb

toilsomeness noun

Synonyms

• arduous
• Augean
• backbreaking
• challenging
• demanding
• difficult
• effortful
• exacting
• formidable
• grueling
• gruelling
• hard
• heavy
• hellacious
• herculean
• killer
• laborious
• moiling
• murderous
• pick-and-shovel
• rigorous
• rough
• rugged
• severe
• stiff
• strenuous
• sweaty
• tall
• testing
• tough
• uphill

Examples of toilsome in a Sentence

faced with the toilsome task of cleaning out her deceased father's homestead

this is the most toilsome part of the construction, so we'll go slowly to make sure we're doing it right

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, Republicans lacked the votes to pass anything so their amendments tended to be trollish and toilsome fliers meant to either own the libs or just annoy the legislators. —Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2022

But as these commemorations advance these important discussions, another more toilsome question continues to unfold in the background: What will happen to those who actually participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol? —Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 8 Jan. 2022

Though the third quarter was significantly better for Netflix than its previous quarter, the company signaled that there could be toilsome times ahead. —Natalie Jarvey, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1570, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

toilsome

adjective

toil·​some ˈtȯi(ə)l-səm 

: requiring much effort