painstaking

[peynz-tey-king, peyn-stey-] / ˈpeɪnzˌteɪ kɪŋ, ˈpeɪnˌsteɪ- /

ADJECTIVE

meticulous, thorough

Synonyms

STRONGEST

assiduous careful conscientious diligent earnest exacting scrupulous strenuous

STRONG

detail-oriented

WEAK

by the book by the numbers conscionable exact finicky fussbudget fussy hard-working heedful industrious particular persevering persnickety picky punctilious punctual sedulous stickler thoroughgoing

Antonyms

STRONGEST

careless lazy lethargic negligent thoughtless uncareful unconcerned unenthusiastic unscrupulous

WEAK

easy half-baked half-done unmindful unthorough

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I am deeply grateful to the Commission for their unceasing efforts to find the Disappeared, and for their painstaking efforts to help ease these families' long suffering," said Hilary Benn.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

This is, to put it plainly, the stuff of well-considered emotional rawness, painstaking portraiture of our collective pasts.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

Gilead returned to TAF in 2010, engaging in years of painstaking research and costly clinical trials.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Besides the usual painstaking design choices every year for its existing products, Ternus has two big challenges at the top of his agenda.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

Working together, the CIA and FBI conducted a painstaking search, cross-referencing everyone who had access to the names of the agents executed by the KGB.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Vocabulary lists containing painstaking

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