strenuous
/ˈstrɛnjʊəs
/adjective
Requiring or using great effort or exertion: the government made strenuous efforts to upgrade the quality of the teaching profession...
- He will make strenuous efforts to make sure that no criminal act on the inside, or the outside, can be traced back to him.
- To mitigate this perception, strenuous efforts are being made to engage local people.
- It is also making strenuous efforts to recruit new staff and train unqualified employees.
Synonyms
arduous, difficult, hard, tough, taxing, demanding, exacting, uphill, stiff, formidable, heavy, exhausting, tiring, fatiguing, gruelling, back-breaking, murderous, punishing
informal no picnic, killing
British informal knackering
archaic toilsome
vigorous, energetic, active, enthusiastic, keen, zealous, forceful, strong, Herculean, spirited, dynamic, intense, determined, resolute, tenacious, tireless, stout, indefatigable, unremitting, dogged, pertinacious
Derivatives
strenuousness
- His preferred terms of admiration reflect the Victorian preoccupation with ‘character’, inflected perhaps by his endorsement of strenuousness as the essential ingredient of moral heroism.
- It is also important to repeatedly remind participants to watch for overheating during the cardiovascular segment of the class - the water's coolness keeps the heart rate lower and can mask the strenuousness of the exercise.
- Although secretly piqued by Jake's comments and judgment, Luke decided that the current situation didn't need extra strenuousness.
Origin
Early 17th century: from Latin strenuus 'brisk' + -ous.