1
as in actively
in a manner involving great or constant activity
working laboriously late into the night in order to meet the deadline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hard
with great effort or determination
the farmer laboriously pruned all season long to produce the finest crop of grapes possible
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of laboriously
There is no need to laboriously clean and sand the walls before priming, per Johnson.
—
Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 29 Dec. 2025
With buckets and mops, Palestinians laboriously scooped water out of their tents.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Dec. 2025
Set in 1970 suburban Massachusetts, Reichardt's take on the heist genre saw O'Connor laboriously heaving art through a hay barn to comedic effect.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
No, these Warriors are doing something laboriously, painfully joyless.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2025
The now 6-2 Patriots started slow, laboriously taking a 9-7 lead into halftime against the Browns.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
The technology is rapidly replacing the old days of crime-scene investigators crafting hand sketches and using tape measures to laboriously take down measurements.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 30 Aug. 2025
Instead of laboriously testing compounds one by one in wet labs or waiting weeks for physics simulations to finish, scientists can now triage molecules digitally at supercomputer scale.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2025
Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 29 Dec. 2025
With buckets and mops, Palestinians laboriously scooped water out of their tents.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Dec. 2025
Set in 1970 suburban Massachusetts, Reichardt's take on the heist genre saw O'Connor laboriously heaving art through a hay barn to comedic effect.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
No, these Warriors are doing something laboriously, painfully joyless.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2025
The now 6-2 Patriots started slow, laboriously taking a 9-7 lead into halftime against the Browns.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
The technology is rapidly replacing the old days of crime-scene investigators crafting hand sketches and using tape measures to laboriously take down measurements.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 30 Aug. 2025
Instead of laboriously testing compounds one by one in wet labs or waiting weeks for physics simulations to finish, scientists can now triage molecules digitally at supercomputer scale.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laboriously
Adverb
-
This leadership follows a congressional report showing foreign adversaries are actively influencing American academia — shining a spotlight on Indiana and Purdue University, in particular, as both a model for reform and a case study in risk.—
Joe Gebbia Sr,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Researchers from the University of Bristol in England and the University at Buffalo in New York found that people actively trying to suppress food cravings were more likely to spend time watching indulgent food content online — yet ended up eating less of it afterward.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
For most of the nation’s history, the former Confederate states have worked hard to minimize the political influence of Black residents in particular.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
-
Joyce, the Angels’ hard-throwing reliever, is the one whose return is most eagerly awaited by fans.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
Adverb
-
Then Faith Stafford, a senior deputy design director, worked diligently to re-create one design out of newspaper.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
-
Both appear to be working diligently within their own municipalities while reaching out to others in the county and state, all for the common good.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
2 May 2026
Adverb
-
By the end of the seventeenth century, sassafras had become one of the primary exports of the early English colony of Jamestown, and the aromatic bark was harvested intensively for shipment to European markets.—
Kari Traylor,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Armed with subpoenas, the Secret Service and other agencies are intensively focusing on what might have caused the suspect to book a room at the Washington Hilton, less than two miles north of the White House, on the night of the annual dinner.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The team sequenced the DNA of 38 different mosquitoes belonging to 11 species within the Leucosphyrus group, which had been arduously collected during fieldwork between 1992 and 2020 across Southeast Asia.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The first year back from knee reconstruction is a tough one, and by all accounts, Darrisaw beat the timetable projection by arduously and relentlessly working through his rehab.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
As fires grew larger and burned more intensely, recreational losses sharpened.—
Kyle Manley,
The Conversation,
6 May 2026
-
Formed by a volcanic eruption 7,700 years ago, it's fed only by precipitation, resulting in its clear, intensely blue color.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
3 May 2026
Adverb
-
People leaned in and listened intently as others spoke with sincerity.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
-
The jury of seven men and five women has appeared intently focused on the testimony.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Adverb
-
One of those blew up on its landing attempt while another was purposefully expended to get its payload to a higher orbital insertion.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
-
The agency previously prided itself on the program’s impartiality and, in an effort to protect its science from the influence of industry, purposefully kept the program separate from the agency offices that craft regulation.—
Sharon Lerner,
ProPublica,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Laboriously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laboriously. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
