Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Arduous
Ar′du-ous
(?; 135)
, Adj.
[L.
arduus
steep, high; akin to Ir. ard
high, height.] 1.
Steep and lofty, in a literal sense; hard to climb.
Those
arduous
paths they trod. Pope.
2.
Attended with great labor, like the ascending of acclivities; difficult; laborious;
as, an
. arduous
employment, task, or enterprise
Syn. – Difficult; trying; laborious; painful; exhausting.
–
Arduous
, Hard
, Difficult
. Hard is simpler, blunter, and more general in sense than difficult; as, a
. Difficult commonly implies more skill and sagacity than hard, as when there is disproportion between the means and the end. A work may be hard but not difficult. We call a thing arduous when it requires strenuous and persevering exertion, like that of one who is climbing a precipice; hard
duty to perform, hard
work, a hard
task, one which requires much bodily effort and perseverance to doas, an
. “It is often difficult to control our feelings; it is still harder to subdue our will; but it is an arduous undertaking to control the unruly and contending will of others.” arduous
task, an arduous
dutyWebster 1828 Edition
Arduous
ARDUOUS
,Adj.
1.
High, lofty, in a literal sense; as, arduous paths.2.
Difficult; attended with great labor, like the ascending of acclivities; as, an arduous employment, task, or enterprise.