painstaking
/ˈpeɪnzteɪkɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpeɪnzteɪkɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈpān-ˌstā-kiŋ/ (ame, mw)
painstaking — adjective
- painstakingpositive
- more painstakingcomparative
- most painstakingsuperlative
1. done with great care, checking each small part and spending plenty of time to ge
done with great care, checking each small part and spending plenty of time to get it right.
The restorer did painstaking work on the temple doors for six weeks.
collocation: painstaking work
Lina made a painstaking chart of every bus stop in town.
pattern: adjective before noun
Our science teacher gave painstaking comments on each lab notebook.
The report was painstaking, with every date checked against the school records.
The costume team took a painstaking approach to every bead and button.
- careful
broader and more everyday, without the strong idea of long effort
- thorough
focuses on covering every part of a task completely
- meticulous
very close in meaning, but often even more strongly about tiny details
文法句型
painstaking work
be painstaking about details
be painstaking in your research
用法筆記
Often describes work, research, or checking rather than personality alone. When it describes a person, the idea is that the person pays close attention to small details.
常見錯誤
painstaking — noun
1. patient, exact care shown when someone spends a long time getting small details
patient, exact care shown when someone spends a long time getting small details right.
By sheer painstaking, Nora matched every loose photo to the right year.
pattern: by sheer painstaking
After months of painstaking, two retired teachers finished the family tree.
collocation: months of painstaking
With painstaking, three students matched each caption to the right display photo.
Through painstaking, the archivist sorted the twins' very similar baby photos.
- haste
quick action that leaves too little time for careful work
- carelessness
lack of attention to details
文法句型
by sheer painstaking
months of painstaking
through painstaking
用法筆記
Rare as a noun and mostly found in formal writing. It often follows 'by', 'through', or 'of', and most learners will meet adjective sense 1 much more often.