as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
the book's abstruse subject matter and dense prose make for effortful reading
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of effortful
The film’s chief sin is its effortful posture of compassion for the plight of these boys, and those like them in the real world.
—
Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Now, early, effortful gig jobs (like Uber and DoorDash) are on the decline, replaced by low-effort digital side gigs.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
As those of us who received some sourdough starter during the pandemic and made big plans to master the craft can attest, baking sourdough bread from scratch is, as Neeson pointed out, effortful.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 24 July 2025
Some of his films are insufficiently grounded in drama; others undercut ample drama with effortful direction.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Now, early, effortful gig jobs (like Uber and DoorDash) are on the decline, replaced by low-effort digital side gigs.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
As those of us who received some sourdough starter during the pandemic and made big plans to master the craft can attest, baking sourdough bread from scratch is, as Neeson pointed out, effortful.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 24 July 2025
Some of his films are insufficiently grounded in drama; others undercut ample drama with effortful direction.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effortful
Adjective
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Ncell, Nepal’s second-largest telecommunications service provider, noted that shutting down all platforms at once was, in any case, technically difficult and warned that the move would severely impact business.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
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Last summer, after years of hip problems and some difficult surgeries to address them, Jill had an operation that went poorly.—
Bianca Bosker,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy, Earle tackled a challenging routine that impressed the judges.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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Real-world tests The scientists tested THOR AI on several challenging copper, argon, and tin cases.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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For the next six years, Kira endured a rigorous drug treatment regime and was frequently in and out of hospitals.—
Ruchi Kumar,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2025
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During a break in the rigorous shooting schedule for the limited series, which also stars Emma Corrin and Jack Lowden, Partridge was able to squeeze in the trip with old college friends.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The backcourt duo of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, also known as the StudBudz, are shifty, tough shot-making guards who can get hot in a hurry.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
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And that’s tough on those guys.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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On the other extreme is the argument that the dynamic is a matter of other factors, such as the types of work women choose; maternity disruptions to careers; less willingness on the whole to work long hours or more physically demanding positions; and poorer negotiation skills.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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The study frames smoke-drying as a deliberate and technically demanding mortuary innovation among tropical hunter-gatherers.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Consider how closed captioning, originally developed for deaf and hard-of-hearing users, now benefits millions in noisy environments or when audio isn't available.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Just hard to think that’ll happen coming off the Jacksonville blowout.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Effortful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effortful. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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