effortful

ef·fort  (frt)

n.

1. The use of physical or mental energy to do something; exertion.

2. A difficult exertion of the strength or will: It was an effort to get up.

3. A usually earnest attempt: Make an effort to arrive promptly.

4. Something done or produced through exertion; an achievement: a play that was his finest effort.

5. Physics Force applied against inertia.

---

[Middle English, from Old French esfort, from esforcier, to force, exert, from Medieval Latin exfortire : Latin ex-, ex- + Latin fortis, strong; see bhergh-² in Indo-European roots.]

---

effort·ful adj.

effort·ful·ly adv.

Thesaurus

Adj.

1.

effortful - requiring great physical effort difficult, hard - not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; "a difficult task"; "nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access"; "difficult times"; "why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?" effortless - requiring or apparently requiring no effort; "the swallows glided in an effortless way through the busy air"