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
-
Travel could be very difficult to impossible.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Oct. 2025
-
This Is My Story While Israel and Hamas have accepted the two-phase agreement, many of the more difficult issues have been left unresolved.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The mother of five admitted that being away from her family for long periods of time was challenging, but the sacrifice was necessary for Jordan’s athletic development.—
Nasha Smith,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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The second, more challenging phase — aimed at dismantling Hamas and deciding Gaza’s future leadership — has yet to be negotiated.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Here’s how all four teams look heading into their Championship Series, along with some rigorous, confident analysis for each team.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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Whereas degree programs have to go through rigorous faculty and administrative oversight, which can take years, non-degree programs don’t require the same kind of oversight.—
Chris Quintana,
USA Today,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The end result of a tough negotiation that included a nearly two-week blackout of Disney channels on Charter in 2023 was a much closer working relationship between the two.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
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Just a week after giving birth, Menish took her six-hour Evidence exam from home in December 2023 — one of the toughest finals in the curriculum.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Some of those ticketholders sued the Astros claiming fraud and demanding refunds.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
13 Oct. 2025
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This training camp, with a new strength and conditioning staff, the Sabres talked about how demanding practice was and how a long list of players reported to camp in great shape.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s the beauty of the league — every play matters and every play is hard to execute.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Oct. 2025
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And help may be harder to find because some insurers no longer pay brokers commissions for new business.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Effortful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effortful. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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