toilsome

American  

[toil-suhm] / ˈtɔɪl səm /

adjective

1. characterized by or involving toil; laborious or fatiguing.

   Synonyms:

   strenuous, arduous, wearisome

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toilsome British  

/ ˈtɔɪlsəm /

adjective

1. laborious

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Other Word Forms

• toilsomeness
  noun
• toilsomely
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of toilsome

First recorded in 1575–85; toil ¹ + -some ¹

Explanation

Something is toilsome if it's really difficult, requiring exhausting or boring effort. Shoveling a foot of heavy snow out of your neighbor's long driveway is toilsome. The adjective toilsome is archaic — it's hardly ever used anymore. It's a shame, because it's a good way to describe monotonous or strenuous work, like your toilsome math homework or your sister's toilsome job on a construction site. At the heart of toilsome is the verb toil, or "work," from the Old French toeillier, "drag about or make dirty," which is probably rooted in the Latin word tudiculare, "crush with a small hammer."

Example Sentences

Toilsome and full of peril was this march.

From The Life of Francis Marion by Simms, William Gilmore

“It sounds so lovely what our fathers did, And what we do is, as it was to them, Toilsome and incomplete.”

From Germany and the Germans From an American Point of View by Collier, Price

Toilsome culture is the price of great success, and the slow growth of a great character is one of its special necessities.

From Architects of Fate or, Steps to Success and Power by Marden, Orison Swett

Toilsome years they were, but doubtless full of rich reward.

From Blazing The Way True Stories, Songs and Sketches of Puget Sound by Denny, Emily Inez

Toilsome, weary days succeeded one another, broken by restless nights, yet ever they pushed westward, slowly, laboriously.

From Civilization Tales of the Orient by La Motte, Ellen Newbold