a laborious task vs a challenging task

Both 'a laborious task' and 'a challenging task' are correct phrases, but they convey slightly different meanings. 'A laborious task' implies that the task requires a lot of effort and is time-consuming, while 'a challenging task' suggests that the task is difficult and requires skill or effort to complete. The choice between the two depends on whether you want to emphasize the effort and time required ('laborious') or the difficulty and skill needed ('challenging').

Last updated: March 26, 2024 • 1112 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe a task that requires a lot of effort and is time-consuming.

"a laborious task"

This phrase is used to describe tasks that are difficult, tedious, and require a significant amount of time and effort to complete.

Examples:

Cleaning the entire house was a laborious task that took the whole weekend.
Transcribing the interview was a laborious task due to the poor audio quality.
The research project turned out to be a laborious task that required months of work.
Repairing the old car turned into a laborious task as more issues were discovered.
Writing a novel can be a laborious task that demands dedication and perseverance.

Show examples from the web [+]

Mr President, the present report by Mrs Palacio marks the successful completion of a laborious task.
This is one reason why building a single market for defence goods is such a laborious task.
Mr President, I feel that Mr Hatzidakis' joke about the laborious nature of the task for all the Members of Parliament is the most concise, and also the best description of the work that has been carried out.
It is a laborious process to which all the institutions must contribute their experience.
A laborious conciliation procedure would entail an unnecessary delay, at the expense of the environment.
And Hitchcock did a laborious, almost scene-by-scene recreation of the story of that man who had been wrongfully accused.
Setting up the Office was a laborious process, in particular because of the disorganised nature of the files that it inherited.
It is proving a laborious process, we are seeing that, and there remains the risk that interested groups will once again try to inflame the conflict.
That is a laborious business and far less appealing that the work on the forthcoming Budget year.
This has been a laborious process and has not by any means reached completion, but, fortunately, clear guidelines have now been drafted for it.
Examining this Commission proposal, the aim of which is to revise only the targets for recycling and reuse of packaging and packaging waste, is a laborious exercise for our Assembly.
The final text adopted, which was the outcome of a laborious compromise, resembles more a catalogue of good intentions and pious hopes than an action programme.
As you know, China's entry into the WTO in 2001, which Parliament supported, was the result of a laborious negotiation in which the European Union played a very important role.
Working through nearly 1300 amendments has been a laborious process, but in the long term we have achieved our aim of reaching a major common compromise with clearly defined objectives.
Working out a common position of 27 countries at European level is in fact only the beginning of a laborious process of harmonisation and implementation of the principles adopted.
This may seem a little more laborious, but we already have a laborious system and we must, at all costs, have state approval for meat labelling.
It's a laborious activity because I have to imagine what you need, whereas you know what you need.
I feel that the Council's proposal, which is the result of a laborious compromise, does not offer us the necessary clarity in this case either and runs the risk of considerably complicating communication with passengers.
Undertakings must realise that consultation and the provision of information are not a laborious and onerous duty but a constructive part of modern management and that creating partnerships also creates responsible employees.
Annex IV and V to Regulation (EC) No 2535/2001 provide for a very complex mechanism and a laborious procedure for the verification of the fat content compliance both in New Zealand and in the Community.

Alternatives:

a time-consuming task
a tedious task
an arduous task
a demanding task
a strenuous task

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe a task that is difficult and requires skill or effort to complete.

"a challenging task"

This phrase is used to describe tasks that are difficult, demanding, and require a certain level of skill or effort to overcome.

Examples:

Solving the puzzle was a challenging task that required logical thinking.
Running a marathon is a challenging task that tests both physical and mental endurance.
Learning a new language can be a challenging task, but it is rewarding in the end.
Designing the new product was a challenging task that pushed the team's creativity.
Negotiating the contract proved to be a challenging task due to the complex terms involved.

Show examples from the web [+]

See "Electron microscopy of SARS-CoV-2: a challenging task – Authors' reply" in Lancet, volume 395 on page e100. See "Endothelial cell infection and ...
Electron microscopy of SARS-CoV-2: a challenging task. Lancet. 2020 May 30;395(10238):e99. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31188-0. Epub 2020 May 19.
May 19, 2020 ... Electron microscopy of SARS-CoV-2: a challenging task. Cynthia S Goldsmith.
Nov 7, 2012 ... Proper measurement of lipid oxidation remains a challenging task since the process is complex and depends on the type of lipid substrate, the ...
7 days ago ... Managing variation is a challenging task for a trauma unit, but it can be done with process analysis tools, as shown here. From the Cambridge ...
A cheap metal for a challenging task: nickel-catalyzed highly diastereo- and enantioselective hydrogenation of tetrasubstituted fluorinated enamides†.

Alternatives:

a difficult task
a demanding task
a tough task
an arduous task
a strenuous task

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a laborious task vs a challenging task

"a laborious task"

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