labored

[ ley-berd ]

adjective

1. done or made with difficulty; heavy:

   labored breathing.

   Antonyms: easy, simple

2. exhibiting a great deal of effort; lacking grace, fluency, or spontaneity:

   a labored prose style.

   Synonyms: stiff, unnatural, ornate, overdone

   Antonyms: natural, plain

Other Words From

• labored·ly adverb
• labored·ness noun
• un·labored adjective
• well-labored adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of labored¹

First recorded in 1525–35; labor + -ed ²

Synonym Study

See elaborate.

Example Sentences

Throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, racial scientists labored to transform the myths of the age of slavery and the more modern racist fictions of the Ku Klux Klan into scientifically verified facts.

From Salon

Egypt and Qatar have labored exhaustively and unsuccessfully to bring Hamas and the Israeli government to terms that would end fighting and free the hostages, as well as release hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails.

From Los Angeles Times

It didn’t take long for my labored pedaling to be replaced by her strength as she pushed me along from behind and we burst out in fits of laughter and joy in unison.

From Los Angeles Times

As crews labored, the temperature hit 105 degrees in nearby Glendora.

From Los Angeles Times

Dust was rampant in the Orange County workshops where he labored, Reyes Gonzalez testified, at times so much that it looked like fog.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arduous
• awkward
• clumsy
• contrived
• ponderous
• strained