time-consuming

IPA/ˈtaɪm kənsjuːmɪŋ/
IPA/ˈtaɪm kənsuːmɪŋ/

time-consuming — adjective

1. needing so many hours or days to finish that the activity feels slow, effortful,

1.形容詞B1
釋義

needing so many hours or days to finish that the activity feels slow, effortful, or hard to fit into a schedule — used about tasks, processes, or routines that take up a noticeable amount of the time available.

例句

Chidi found that updating the library catalogue was an extremely time-consuming process.

time-consuming + noun: process, task, activity

Making fresh pasta from scratch is time-consuming, but the taste is worth the effort.

predicative use: be + time-consuming

同義詞
  • labor-intensive

    focuses on the amount of human effort rather than the clock time; often used for physical work

  • lengthy

    draws attention to the duration itself, not the effort; can be neutral about the pace

  • protracted

    formal register; suggests something takes longer than expected or desired

  • tedious

    adds a negative feeling — boring or frustrating because of the slowness

反義詞
  • quick

    simple opposite when the task can be done in very little time

  • fast

    emphasises speed of completion rather than the amount of effort

文法句型

time-consuming + noun

be + time-consuming

用法筆記

Frequently used before nouns (attributive position) and after linking verbs (predicative position). This word is neutral — unlike 'time-wasting', it does not imply the time was used poorly, only that a large amount was needed.

常見錯誤

❌This task is time-wasting.
✅This task is time-consuming.
💡'Time-wasting' has a negative judgement (the time was used badly); 'time-consuming' is neutral about whether the effort is worthwhile.
❌The time consuming project lasted six months.
✅The time-consuming project lasted six months.
💡When the compound adjective comes before a noun, it needs a hyphen.