Arduous

Arduous
Arduous Ar"du*ous (?; 135), a. [L. arduus steep, high; akin to Ir. ard high, height.] 1. Steep and lofty, in a literal sense; hard to climb. [1913 Webster]

Those arduous paths they trod. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

2. Attended with great labor, like the ascending of acclivities; difficult; laborious; as, an arduous employment, task, or enterprise. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Difficult; trying; laborious; painful; exhausting.

Usage: {Arduous}, {Hard}, {Difficult}. Hard is simpler, blunter, and more general in sense than difficult; as, a hard duty to perform, hard work, a hard task, one which requires much bodily effort and perseverance to do. Difficult commonly implies more skill and sagacity than hard, as when there is disproportion between the means and the end. A work may be hard but not difficult. We call a thing arduous when it requires strenuous and persevering exertion, like that of one who is climbing a precipice; as, an arduous task, an arduous duty. ``It is often difficult to control our feelings; it is still harder to subdue our will; but it is an arduous undertaking to control the unruly and contending will of others.'' [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • arduous — I adjective backbreaking, burdensome, difficult, exhausting, fatiguing, formidable, grueling, hard, hard earned, hard fought, intricate, irksome, laborious, lofty, onerous, operose, oppressive, painful, precipitous, punishing, rugged, severe,… …   Law dictionary

  • arduous — (adj.) 1530s, hard to accomplish, difficult to do, from L. arduus high, steep, also figuratively, difficult, from PIE root *eredh to grow, high (see ORTHO (Cf. ortho )). Literal sense of high, steep, difficult to climb, attested in English from… …   Etymology dictionary

  • arduous — *hard, difficult Analogous words: laborious, toilsome (see corresponding nouns at WORK): exhausting, wearying or wearisome, tiring, fatiguing (see corresponding verbs at TIRE): *onerous, exacting, oppressive Antonyms: light, facile Contrasted… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • arduous — [adj] difficult, hard to endure backbreaking, burdensome, exhausting, fatiguing, formidable, grueling, harsh, heavy, labored, laborious, murder, no picnic*, onerous, painful, punishing, rigorous, rough, severe, strenuous, taxing, tiring, toilsome …   New thesaurus

  • arduous — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ difficult and tiring. DERIVATIVES arduously adverb arduousness noun. ORIGIN Latin arduus steep, difficult …   English terms dictionary

  • arduous — [är′jo͞o əs] adj. [L arduus, steep < IE * er(ə)dh , high, to grow (> L arbor, tree) < base * er , to set in motion, RUN] 1. difficult to do; laborious; onerous 2. using much energy; strenuous 3. steep; hard to climb SYN. HARD arduously… …   English World dictionary

  • arduous — arduously, adv. arduousness, n. /ahr jooh euhs/ or, esp. Brit., /ahr dyooh /, adj. 1. requiring great exertion; laborious; difficult: an arduous undertaking. 2. requiring or using much energy and vigor; strenuous: making an arduous effort. 3.… …   Universalium

  • arduous — ar|du|ous [ˈa:djuəs US ˈa:rdʒuəs] adj [Date: 1500 1600; : Latin; Origin: arduus high, steep, difficult ] involving a lot of strength and effort arduous task/work ▪ the arduous task of loading all the boxes into the van arduous journey/voyage ▪ an …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • arduous — ar•du•ous [[t]ˈɑr dʒu əs[/t]] esp. brit. [[t]ˈɑr dyu [/t]] adj. 1) requiring great exertion; laborious: arduous tasks[/ex] 2) using much energy; strenuous: an arduous effort[/ex] 3) hard to climb; steep: an arduous path[/ex] 4) full of hardships; …   From formal English to slang

  • arduous — /ˈadʒuəs / (say ahjoohuhs) adjective 1. requiring great exertion; laborious; strenuous: an even more arduous campaign; an arduous climb to the top. 2. hard to endure; severe; full of hardships: *We were dealing through interpreters with people… …  

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