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
Daniel J. BoorstinMaking a telescope mirror is a long and laborious process.—David Devoss and Eric Sander
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
The Economist2
: devoted to labor : industrious
We have the greatest riches, the greatest fertility, … the most laborious population.—Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
laboriously
adverb
laboriousness
noun
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
But even with Tatum, who underwent surgery Tuesday on his ruptured Achilles, now beginning a laborious recovery process that could wipe out most or all of his 2025-26 season, his teammates remain confident.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 15 May 2025
With these laborious methods of locomotion, sea cucumbers were long thought to never exceed speeds of about a yard a day.
—Katarina Zimmer, JSTOR Daily, 15 May 2025
However, Hewitt, said that the process is still time-consuming and laborious.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 29 Apr. 2025
By the time Roman Reigns entered the 32nd installment of WrestleMania, fans had long gotten bored of his stale do-gooder character work and the WWE’s laborious efforts to position him as its leading man.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laborious
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 15 May 2025
With these laborious methods of locomotion, sea cucumbers were long thought to never exceed speeds of about a yard a day.
—Katarina Zimmer, JSTOR Daily, 15 May 2025
However, Hewitt, said that the process is still time-consuming and laborious.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 29 Apr. 2025
By the time Roman Reigns entered the 32nd installment of WrestleMania, fans had long gotten bored of his stale do-gooder character work and the WWE’s laborious efforts to position him as its leading man.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laborious
Cite this Entry
“Laborious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laborious. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share