arduous
Americanadjective
-
requiring great exertion; laborious; difficult.
an arduous undertaking.
- Synonyms:
- exhausting, burdensome, wearisome, onerous, toilsome, hard
- Antonyms:
- easy
-
requiring or using much energy and vigor; strenuous.
making an arduous effort.
-
hard to climb; steep.
an arduous path up the hill.
-
hard to endure; full of hardships; severe.
an arduous winter.
adjective
-
requiring great physical or mental effort; difficult to accomplish; strenuous
-
hard to endure; harsh
arduous conditions
-
hard to overcome or surmount; steep or difficult
an arduous track
Other Word Forms
- arduously adverb
- arduousness noun
- superarduous adjective
- superarduously adverb
- superarduousness noun
- unarduous adjective
- unarduously adverb
- unarduousness noun
Etymology
Origin of arduous
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin arduus “erect, laborious, steep”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His attorneys called an expert who testified that Puig’s arduous journey from his home country caused PTSD.
From Los Angeles Times
Until this moment, standing at the corner of one of the busiest intersections in the city, falling in love had always been for me an arduous process.
From Los Angeles Times
Infantry units are full of older men unfit for arduous combat missions.
The gradual return of the hostages over several stages had been a complicated and arduous process for both sides.
From Barron's
City are close to completing the £20m signing of Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi to bolster their defence, but the arduous schedule now appears to be catching up with their front players.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
