painstaking

1 of 2

adjective

pains·​tak·​ing ˈpān-ˌstā-kiŋ How to pronounce painstaking (audio)
: taking pains : expending, showing, or involving diligent care and effort
painstaking research
painstaking tasks
painstaking accuracy
painstakingly adverb

painstaking

2 of 2

noun

: the action of taking pains : diligent care and effort
… greater painstaking to achieve incidental verisimilitude and accuracy of detail …Times Literary Supplement

Examples of painstaking in a Sentence

Adjective The book describes the election process in painstaking detail. she was always painstaking about her work
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The Browne Family Wines team carefully cultivates the fruits of the Earth and processes them with painstaking attention to detail, resulting in a balanced and intricate art form in every bottle of CIRQ and CHEV. Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024 After the museum reopened in 1946, top experts began the painstaking process of reorganizing and displaying the formidable collection. David Unsworth, Fox News, 20 Apr. 2024 Takato Kusakabe, a postdoctoral fellow in Iliev’s lab and study author, ran plate after plate of experiments—a painstaking process—to quantify these antibody levels. Maggie Chen, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024 The medical examiner detailed the events slowly and with painstaking specificity. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024 On his July 2020 podcast, just ahead of Momofuku’s chili crunch debut, Chang talked about the long, painstaking process for creating the condiment. Tim Carman, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024 McAlister locked in the conversation after a year of painstaking negotiations with the palace, which kicked off with a pitch around Prince Andrew’s charitable work. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024 But after a painstaking selection process, Graf decided to come to San Jose, and general manager Mike Grier, coach David Quinn, and even players like Henry Thrun deserve credit for that. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024 Working in near-isolation and with painstaking tediousness, the psychiatrist Hans Berger observes rhythmic electrical activity from the scalp of human subjects. Giridhar Kalamangalam, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'painstaking.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1685, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1538, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of painstaking was in 1538

Dictionary Entries Near painstaking

Cite this Entry

“Painstaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/painstaking. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

painstaking

adjective
pains·​tak·​ing
ˈpān-ˌstā-kiŋ
: taking or showing great care and effort
a painstaking search
painstakingly
-kiŋ-lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on painstaking

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!