arduous
- 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.
Origin of arduous
Synonyms for arduous
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms for arduous
Related Words for arduousness
predicament, complication, dilemma, hardship, hazard, snag, obstacle, struggle, frustration, pain, trouble, deadlock, crisis, adversity, distress, strait, hitch, obstruction, perplexity, quagmireExamples from the Web for arduousness
Historical Examples of arduousness
They vary in arduousness: all would be marked "heavy work" in a job specification.
SteelCharles Rumford Walker
They know the arduousness of life, which is a lesson we must all learn sooner or later.
The Half-HeartedJohn Buchan
No one has rightly entered on the office without being deeply impressed by its greatness, arduousness, and responsibility.
Life and Work in Benares and Kumaon, 1839-1877James Kennedy
They scarcely shrink from any business on account of its magnitude, its arduousness, or its hazard.
Thoughts on MissionsSheldon Dibble
Though not comparing with the arduousness of field service, our duties were by no means slight.
Reminiscences of two years with the colored troopsJoshua M. Addeman
arduous
- 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
Word Origin for arduous
Word Origin and History for arduousness
arduous
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.