effortful

American

[ef-ert-fuhl] / ˈɛf ərt fəl /

adjective

marked by effort or exertion; labored.

Other Word Forms

effortfully adverb

Etymology

Origin of effortful

First recorded in 1895–1900; effort + -ful

Vocabulary lists containing effortful

Difficult

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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.

Instead of becoming more automatic or habit-driven, the rats showed more deliberate and effortful decision-making.

From Science Daily • Feb. 16, 2026

A 2021 meta-analysis of the impact of videogames found that some games have educational benefits, but heavy gaming can also “lead to addiction and impair ability to focus on effortful goal oriented behavior.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 21, 2025

Either they’re not actually funny, or they get too in their head about being perceived as funny as they think they are, and the result is a guest-host turn that feels too effortful.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2024

Contemplating policies, questioning sources and second-guessing ourselves requires a slower, more effortful form of human intelligence.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2024

She smiled at him as they hauled themselves up it—a brief flash of teeth, effortful but gallant—and tried to wring the water from her clothes.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023