ETYM Latin anxius, from angere to cause pain, choke; akin to Greek agchein to choke. Related to Anger.
1. Causing or fraught with or showing anxiety; SYN. nervous, uneasy, unquiet.
2. Mentally upset over possible misfortune or danger etc; worried; SYN. apprehensive.
3. (Colloquial) Eagerly desirous; SYN. dying.
ETYM Latin arduus steep, high; akin to Irish ard high, height.
1. Characterized by toilsome effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort; SYN. backbreaking, grueling, gruelling, hard, heavy, laborious, labourious, punishing, toilsome.
2. Difficult to accomplish; demanding considerable mental effort and skill.
3. Taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance; SYN. straining, strenuous.
Causing inconvenience.
Difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape; SYN. bunglesome, clumsy, ungainly.
Hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment; SYN. embarrassing, sticky, unenviable.
Lacking grace or skill in manner or movement or performance.
Not at ease socially; unsure and constrained in manner; SYN. ill at ease, uneasy.
Not elegant or graceful in expression; SYN. clumsy, cumbersome, inapt, inept, ill-chosen.
Not easily borne; wearing; SYN. onerous, taxing.
ETYM From Difficulty.
1. Not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; SYN. hard.
2. Requiring much effort and trouble.
Causing distress or worry or anxiety; SYN. distressful, disturbing, perturbing, troubling, worrisome, worrying.
ETYM Old Fren. grevous, grevos, Late Lat. gravosus. Related to Grief.
Causing or marked by grief or anguish; SYN. heartbreaking, heartrending.
Very severe or painful; causing grief or suffering, heinous. grievous bodily harm, Law, crime of inflicting serious physical injury on another person. (abbr. GBH).
ETYM Latin laboriosus,fr. labor labor: cf. French laborieux.
1. Requiring labor, perseverance, or sacrifices.
2. Toilsome; tiresome.
1. Causing physical or psychological pain
2. Requiring effort or exertion
ETYM French, p. pr. of poindre to sting, from Latin pungere to prick, sting. Related to Pungent.
Keenly distressing to the mind or feelings.
1. Sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring
2. Very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution; SYN. tough.
ETYM Latin taediosus, from taedium. Related to Tedium.
Tiring; so monotonous as to be wearisome.
Hard to endure, severely straining the powers of endurance
1. Lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance
2. Marked by a lack of quiet; not conducive to rest; SYN. restless.