effortful

[ ef-ert-fuhl ]

adjective

1. marked by effort or exertion; labored.

Other Words From

• effort·ful·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of effortful¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; effort + -ful

Example Sentences

It is an effortfully attractive place with well-kept painted brick homes and clipped lawns.

From Salon

She has worked, effortfully, to capture the voice and the pose, even if the film fails her in terms of rapture.

From Los Angeles Times

In this way, through sustained and effortful looking, we are finally rewarded with intimate visions of metallic door plates and keys, adorned with colorful ribbons and arrayed against a backdrop of gilded emergency blankets.

From Seattle Times

There’s immense discipline and effort behind the songs on “Radical Optimism,” and Lipa flaunts her work in the studio and in her effortful onstage dance routines.

From New York Times

And pulses can be perceived as inconvenient, effortful or difficult to cook.

From Salon