involving great exertion or long effort given to working hard (of literary style, etc) not fluent
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
la•bo•ri•ous /ləˈbɔriəs/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- requiring much work or effort;
needing much work;
difficult;
hard;
arduous:a laborious undertaking.
la•bo•ri•ous
(lə bôr′ē əs, -bōr′-),USA pronunciation adj.
la•bo′ri•ous•ly, adv.
la•bo′ri•ous•ness, n.
- requiring much work, exertion, or perseverance:a laborious undertaking.
- characterized by or requiring extreme care and much attention to detail:laborious research.
- characterized by or exhibiting excessive effort, dullness, and lack of spontaneity;
labored:a strained, laborious plot. - given to or diligent in work:a careful, laborious craftsman.
- Latin labōriōsus. See labor, -ious
- Middle English 1350–1400
la•bo′ri•ous•ness, n.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged toilsome, arduous, onerous, burdensome, difficult, hard, tiresome, wearisome, fatiguing.
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged hardworking, industrious, assiduous, sedulous, painstaking.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'laborious' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):