Definitions

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.

For decades, a small program in the Environmental Protection Agency conducted the painstaking scientific work of assessing the toxicity of chemicals.

From Salon • May 5, 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

“We’re going through it in painstaking detail right now,” Choi said of the short-swing profits.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

A painstaking three days were spent examining the skeleton in situ before he was removed, with all but a small toe bone recovered.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

When he finds several painstaking iterations of a mold that match exactly the size and pear-cut shape of the stone in the vault at the museum, he knows he has his man.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Vocabulary lists containing painstaking

List 8

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The Haunting of Hill House

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