| 单词 | toilsome |
| 释义 | toilsome (once / 3535 pages) adj Something is toilsome if it's really difficult, requiring exhausting or boring effort. Shoveling a foot of heavy snow out of your neighbor's long driveway is toilsome. The adjective toilsome is archaic — it's hardly ever used anymore. It's a shame, because it's a good way to describe monotonous or strenuous work, like your toilsome math homework or your sister's toilsome job on a construction site. At the heart of toilsome is the verb toil, or "work," from the Old French toeillier, "drag about or make dirty," which is probably rooted in the Latin word tudiculare, "crush with a small hammer." WORD FAMILYtoilsome: toilsomely, toilsomeness+/toil: toiled, toiler, toiling, toils, toilsome/toiler: toilers/toiling: toilingly USAGE EXAMPLESHis blade was a model socialist innovation: Gillette replaced toilsome sharpening labor with the smallest, most easily produced part imaginable. New York Times(Aug 26, 2016) This is ordinary, toilsome life in a bygone newsroom. The Guardian(Oct 25, 2014) Though tautly stretched at the end of the boat, it sagged a little in the middle; it made for three or four toilsome, bouncy steps. Yann Martel, Life of Pi(2001) adj characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort Syn arduous, backbreaking, grueling, gruelling, hard, heavy, laborious, operose, punishing effortful requiring great physical effort |
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