backbreaking C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈbækˌbreɪkɪŋ/ UK /ˈbækˌbreɪkɪŋ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj physically exhausting and arduous The harvest was backbreaking work from dawn until well past dusk. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · physically exhausting and... exhaustingarduousgruelinglaboriousstrenuouspunishing ↔ Opposites easyeffortless Word family Related forms backbreak Etymology AI details From back + breaking, the image being of labor so heavy it would break one's back. bæc Old English brecan Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # backbreaking **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈbækˌbreɪkɪŋ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbækˌbreɪkɪŋ/ ## Meanings 1. physically exhausting and arduous ## Examples - The harvest was backbreaking work from dawn until well past dusk. ## Synonyms - exhausting - arduous - grueling - laborious - strenuous - punishing ## Antonyms - easy - effortless ## Related Forms - back - break ## Roots and Affixes - Root: bæc - Root: brecan ## Etymology From back + breaking, the image being of labor so heavy it would break one's back. ## AI Etymology Backbreaking is an adjective meaning "physically exhausting and arduous". Historically, it is from back + breaking, the image being of labor so heavy it would break one's back. The visible construction is part of the etymology: backbreaking is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The historical chain links Old English bæc with Old English brecan. Close English family members include back, and break. This keeps the modern adjective sense tied to the older forms and language sequence behind it. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown