laboursomelyadv.
/ˈleɪbəs(ə)mli/, U.S. /ˈleɪbərsəmli/ rare.
Laboriously; with difficulty.
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the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > [adverb] > laboriously
travailouslya1382
laboursomely1552
laboriously?1611
toilsomely1614
moilingly1621
operosely1668
operously1668
moliminously1678
toilingly1731
toilfully1820
1552 King Edward VI Jrnl. in Lit. Rem. (1857) II. 420 They had..passed many a strait very painfully and laborsomly.
1592 R. Dallington tr. F. Colonna Hypnerotomachia f. 6v Which immence..forme..mounting vp laboursomly foote by foote, conteyned 1410. degrees or steppes.
1880 R. Broughton Second Thoughts I. i. ix. 152 It seems as if to each breath a heavy stone were tied, so laboursomely does he drag it up.
2000 Independent (Nexis) 19 Dec. 10 Many of the new paintings in this show still use benday dots, and you can see, if you look closely, that they are all laboursomely hand-painted.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.1552