arduous

[ ahr-joo-uhs or, esp. British, ahr-dyoo- ]

/ ˈɑr dʒu əs or, esp. British, ˈɑr dyu- /

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adjective

requiring great exertion; laborious; difficult: an arduous undertaking.

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.

Nearby words

Origin of arduous

1530–40; < Latin arduus erect, steep, laborious; see -ous

SYNONYMS FOR arduous

1 hard, toilsome, onerous, wearisome, burdensome, exhausting.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR arduous ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR arduous

1 easy.

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Related forms

ar·du·ous·ly, adverbar·du·ous·ness, nounsu·per·ar·du·ous, adjectivesu·per·ar·du·ous·ly, adverb

su·per·ar·du·ous·ness, nounun·ar·du·ous, adjectiveun·ar·du·ous·ly, adverbun·ar·du·ous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for arduous

It's slow and arduous and takes great concentration under the best of circumstances.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even more striking are the courteous and collegial manners displayed, even during the arduous filibuster in the Senate.
How a Dream Became a Law: Passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964|Wendy Smith|March 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once the budget has been creatively handled, a director still faces the arduous task of casting.
The Art of Smutty Spoofs: Porn Parodies Aren’t a Joke Anymore|Aurora Snow|March 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The road to the Olympics is already long and arduous enough.
India’s Olympic Mess: Why You Won’t See the Nation’s Flag in Sochi|Kevin Fixler|February 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

His successors will face the arduous task of fleshing out the content of this “pivot.”
Hats Off to Tom Donilon|Leslie H. Gelb|June 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Next day the arduous work of cutting a road through the forest and up the mountainside was begun.
The Pioneers|R.M. Ballantyne
My duties, although various, were not arduous, but occupied a large portion of my time.
Jack in the Forecastle|John Sherburne Sleeper
The ascent of the mountain was most arduous, the natural difficulties being much increased by the difficulty of respiration.
The Diary of a Hunter from the Punjab to the Karakorum Mountains|Augustus Henry Irby
But twelve arduous years of struggle with recurring difficulties passed before success began to dawn.
A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century|Agnes M. (Agnes Mary) Clerke
Their time in the line, beginning as it had done on 30th July 1915, had been long and arduous.
The History of the 51st (Highland) Division 1914-1918|Frederick William Bewsher

British Dictionary definitions for arduous

arduous

/ (ˈɑːdjʊəs) /

adjective

requiring great physical or mental effort; difficult to accomplish; strenuous

hard to endure; harsharduous conditions

hard to overcome or surmount; steep or difficultan arduous track

Derived Formsarduously, adverbarduousness, noun

Word Origin for arduous

C16: from Latin arduus steep, difficult

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for arduous

arduous

adj.

1530s, "hard to accomplish, difficult to do," from Latin arduus "high, steep," also figuratively, "difficult," from PIE root *eredh- "to grow, high" (see ortho-). Literal sense of "high, steep, difficult to climb," attested in English from 1709.