as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
dreaded the Augean task of cleaning the bathroom after an overflow of the toilet
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Recent Examples of Augean
Obasanjo’s return to power as a civilian leader was supposed to be an economic and political reset, a cleaning of the Augean stables.
—
Uzodinma Iweala, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2022
Uzodinma Iweala, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Augean
Adjective
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No matter how sweet, the little crocodile grows bigger and more difficult to care for.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
10 June 2025
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Despite her risky gambit, Metcalfe, who is studying to be an attorney at the University of Law in Manchester, England, admits that her sport has helped her through some of the most difficult times of her life.—
Andy Frye,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Adjective
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Preparing to shoot the live-action footage was also challenging.—
Kambole Campbell,
Variety,
14 June 2025
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Oakmont is a notoriously challenging course, a venue that has already seen big-name players like defending champion Bryson DeChambeau fail to make it through to the last two rounds.—
Patrick Snell,
CNN Money,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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Adopt a zero-trust security model that emphasizes rigorous access rules and constant authentication.—
Rob Lydic,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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The next afternoon, Gomes sat in and watched Ohtani throw a rigorous bullpen session to simulate multiple innings.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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All have long-standing reputations and a superb stock that will meet the requirements of the most demanding connoisseur.—
Felipe Schrieberg,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
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Liberatore is a professional shaped by the demanding and deeply influential disciplines of medicine and law.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
11 June 2025
Adjective
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Soon after, he was joined by his brother, Tonga Loa, creating a formidable new tag team within the group.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
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Krishnamurthi is also a star cricket player for the U.S. senior national team, a contributor to their recent run of strong form that included a win over a formidable Pakistan team in the T20 World Cup last year.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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The vote took place against an increasingly violent backlash to the Trump administration's tough immigration policies.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 June 2025
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In Mind For startups, achieving more with less can be tough.—
John Hall,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, Republicans lacked the votes to pass anything so their amendments tended to be trollish and toilsome fliers meant to either own the libs or just annoy the legislators.—
Matt Ford,
The New Republic,
9 Aug. 2022
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But as these commemorations advance these important discussions, another more toilsome question continues to unfold in the background: What will happen to those who actually participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol?—
Jason Linkins,
The New Republic,
8 Jan. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Augean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Augean. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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