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
Writing, too, is mirthless and effortful.
—
Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025
The director and star’s efforts may have lifted the German-language edition, but this static, lost-in-translation revamp just comes off as effortful, for little reward.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025
Sometimes, stars on SNL are born of effortful attention-seeking.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025
Igor’s eyes were cloudy, and his chest rattled with effortful breathing.
—Brandon Taylor, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025
The director and star’s efforts may have lifted the German-language edition, but this static, lost-in-translation revamp just comes off as effortful, for little reward.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025
Sometimes, stars on SNL are born of effortful attention-seeking.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025
Igor’s eyes were cloudy, and his chest rattled with effortful breathing.
—Brandon Taylor, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effortful
Adjective
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Ullmann is the daughter of the late Swedish director Ingmar Bergman and the Norwegian actor Liv Ullmann, and specifics of her childhood are not difficult to locate.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
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In a region where resources can be difficult to access and censorship persists, the initiative provided more than support.—
Essie Assibu,
Variety,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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Points available at the stage’s finish vary based on a coefficient of difficulty: the more challenging the stage, the fewer points available.—
Sophie Kaufman,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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Besides the challenging business climate in Chicago, President Donald Trump’s tariffs are contributing to rising food costs, and his immigration crackdown threatens to disrupt the food-service workforce.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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Ozzy Osbourne shared 3 children with first wife Thelma Riley The father of six children over two marriages, Osbourne has been vocal about how rigorous touring and alcohol use affected his family life.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
23 July 2025
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The 22-year-old flew to the United States and went through the DCC’s rigorous tryouts, eventually becoming one of six new rookies to join the 36-member squad, out of thousands who auditioned.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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The tougher policy changes are adding to the minors’ trauma, advocates say.—
Nicol León,
AZCentral.com,
22 July 2025
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Stellantis' loss, versus a 5.6 billion euro net profit a year earlier, underscores the tough challenges for new CEO Antonio Filosa, who was appointed in May after a disastrous performance in the company's crucial U.S. market in 2024 forced the ouster of former boss Carlos Tavares.—
Giulio Piovaccari,
Freep.com,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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In the more demanding Steel Nomad benchmark, the Dell 16 Plus trailed both the Acer Swift 16 AI and LG Gram Pro.—
Brian Westover,
PC Magazine,
17 July 2025
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All while playing the most physically demanding position on the field, which Raleigh does at an above-average level.—
Tyler Small,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.—
Alia Wong,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2023
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Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Effortful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effortful. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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