arduous

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈɑɹ.d͡ʒu.əs/ UK /ˈɑː.djuː.əs/ See IPA manual

adj Freq #26628

Meanings

1

adj
Very difficult and tiring; requiring a lot of effort.

The climb to the summit was long and arduous.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · very difficult and tiring;... hard strenuous straining

More burdensome demanding exhausting fatiguing laborious onerousstrugglesomeuphill wearisome

Word family

Derived forms arduouslyarduousnessunarduous

Related forms arduity

Etymology

From Latin arduus (“lofty, high, steep, hard to reach, difficult, laborious”), akin to Irish ard (“high”).

*h₃erdʰ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# arduous

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˈɑɹ.d͡ʒu.əs
**IPA (UK):** ˈɑː.djuː.əs
**Frequency rank:** 26628

## Meanings
1. Very difficult and tiring; requiring a lot of effort.

## Examples
- The climb to the summit was long and arduous.

## Synonyms
- burdensome
- demanding
- exhausting
- fatiguing
- laborious
- onerous
- strenuous
- strugglesome
- uphill
- wearisome

## Derived Forms
- arduously
- arduousness
- unarduous

## Related Forms
- arduity

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₃erdʰ-

## Etymology
From Latin arduus (“lofty, high, steep, hard to reach, difficult, laborious”), akin to Irish ard (“high”).

## AI Etymology
Arduous is from Latin arduus (“lofty, high, steep, hard to reach, difficult, laborious”), akin to Irish ard (“high”). Important recorded forms include *h₃erdʰ- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include very difficult and tiring; requiring a lot of effort. The wider family includes derived forms such as arduously, arduousness, and unarduous and related words such as arduity.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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