effortful

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.

Instead of becoming more automatic or habit-driven, the rats showed more deliberate and effortful decision-making.

From Science Daily • Feb. 16, 2026

A 2021 meta-analysis of the impact of videogames found that some games have educational benefits, but heavy gaming can also “lead to addiction and impair ability to focus on effortful goal oriented behavior.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 21, 2025

The film is a feat of maximalist and moody production design and cinematography, but the tedious and overwrought script renders every character two-dimensional, despite the effortful acting and teary pronunciations.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2024

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 • May 3, 2024

She smiled at him as they hauled themselves up it—a brief flash of teeth, effortful but gallant—and tried to wring the water from her clothes.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell