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
But that shouldn’t look too effortful, or overly dependent on novelty or shallow surrealism.
—
Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Sennecke’s effortful shift ultimately sent the Capitals into the Ducks’ end, where Husso stymied Connor McMichael on a breakaway.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 6 Dec. 2025
The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Sennecke’s effortful shift ultimately sent the Capitals into the Ducks’ end, where Husso stymied Connor McMichael on a breakaway.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 6 Dec. 2025
The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for effortful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effortful
Adjective
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But with the Lightning taking back home-ice advantage with this win and the series shifting back to Tampa, where Cooper will have full control of the matchup, the task becomes that much more difficult for the Suzuki line.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Tornadoes are extremely difficult to see and confirm at night.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Last year, Blackstone President and COO Jon Gray also told new analysts that working hard and being collaborative are essential skills for success in today’s challenging job market.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
These Yiddish phrases have gotten me through many challenging situations.—
Gilda Dangot-Simpkin,
Sun Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Experts who study such drugs welcomed rigorous, scientific scrutiny.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
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His novels, especially the later ones, were rigorous, ecstatic immensities unlike anything that anticipated them.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Lightly coated with oil and tossed occasionally in a searing hot skillet or wok, even tough beans turn silky, and ready to coat in a finishing blast of chiles.—
The Bon Appétit Staff,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 May 2026
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Comfortable travel can be achieved with stretchy, breathable pants, but securing a pair that hits those marks while looking stylish can be tough.—
Rachel Trujillo,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Reliable Service as an Operational Standard Clients in Dallas-Fort Worth should expect something more demanding than friendliness and something less theatrical than branding.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
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The dual-motor setup targets higher output and improved traction for more demanding driving conditions.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Larysa, Oleh, and their cousins would scale apple trees and bite into unripe fruit, hard and green.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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The best way to do that is to take the least amount of gas (since the tires are hard like hockey pucks and don’t wear out much).—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Effortful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effortful. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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