arduous

[ahr-joo-uhs, ahr-dyoo-]

adjective

1. requiring great exertion; laborious; difficult.

   an arduous undertaking.

   Synonyms: exhausting, burdensome, wearisome, onerous, toilsome, hard
   Antonyms: easy

2. requiring or using much energy and vigor; strenuous.

   making an arduous effort.

3. hard to climb; steep.

   an arduous path up the hill.

4. hard to endure; full of hardships; severe.

   an arduous winter.

arduous

/ ˈɑːdjʊəs /

adjective

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

2. hard to endure; harsh

   arduous conditions

3. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of arduous¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin arduus “erect, laborious, steep”

Word History and Origins

Origin of arduous¹

C16: from Latin arduus steep, difficult

Example Sentences

There are mysteries to solve, of course, but they come and go, while family, even at its most arduous and argumentative, is forever.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Healthcare is wildly inefficient with slow drug development, doctors overburdened with administrative tasks and a claims system that’s overly arduous and time-consuming, the analysts say.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He remembered it as an arduous but ultimately joyous affair -- although he regretted that the glory had not been more equally shared among the team.

Read more on Barron's

Those who could afford it paid high prices to hire donkey carts or small trucks to make the arduous journey north.

Read more on BBC

The terrain made for arduous access to their property and their contractor told them building costs would soar unless they convinced their neighbors to let them truck materials through their then-empty lots.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• backbreaking 
• burdensome 
• exhausting 
• formidable 
• grueling 
• laborious 
• onerous 
• painful 
• rigorous 
• strenuous 
• tiring www.thesaurus.com
• tough 
• troublesome 
• trying 
• uphill