arduous

Intermediatezipf 3.18

Pronunciation

/ˈɑːdjuəs/(AR-joo-us)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

艰巨的；费力的（强调需要持续努力）

Definition

Requiring great effort, endurance, or perseverance; extremely difficult and tiring.

Word family

  • arduously/ˈɑːdjuəsli/(adv)艰辛地
  • arduousness/ˈɑːdjuəsnəs/(n)艰巨

Collocations

  • arduous task
  • arduous journey
  • arduous process
  • arduous climb
  • arduous negotiations

Examples

  1. 1.The arduous hike to base camp took twelve hours through steep, rocky terrain. (physical)
  2. 2.Rebuilding trust after a scandal is an arduous process that takes years, not weeks. (figurative)

Synonyms

  • strenuous/ˈstrɛnjuəs/— requiring great physical effort
  • grueling/ˈɡruːəlɪŋ/— exhausting and demanding
  • laborious/ləˈbɔːriəs/— requiring much tedious effort

Etymology

from Latin "arduus" (steep, difficult) — originally described physically steep terrain, then extended to any difficult undertaking