Painstaking
What it means
Carried out with sustained care for every important detail.
Reach for it when praising thorough work that required patience and precision
Painstaking comparison of the maps revealed where the river had changed course.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| professional |
|
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
Fits when completeness matters more than visible labor
Careful Thorough is neutral about the patience and difficulty behind the result.
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professional
Fits when the worker's steady application deserves praise
Careful Diligent characterizes the person or effort, not necessarily the fine-grained method.
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professional
Fits when exact attention to small details is central
Careful Meticulous can describe a naturally exact style without showing how much effort the task required.
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formal
laborious
Fits when the work was slow and demanding
Careful Laborious stresses burden and can sound critical rather than admiring.
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formal
Fits when accuracy and principled care both matter
Careful Scrupulous may suggest moral caution where the task only demanded precision.
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literary
Fits when persistent, attentive application is the distinction
Careful Assiduous is elevated language and says less about exact detail.
Opposites 3
- careless
- hasty
- slapdash
Common phrases 3
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painstaking research
Painstaking research restored the identities behind dozens of unlabeled photographs.
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painstaking attention
Painstaking attention to the stonework preserved the building's original proportions.
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painstaking process
The painstaking process produced a reliable edition of the damaged manuscript.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated