as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
modern machinery has significantly eased the backbreaking work of farming
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of backbreaking
The Kings were leading 80-60 at the time and led by as many as 26 in the game, dealing the Blazers’ playoff chase a backbreaking blow.
—
oregonlive, 8 Mar. 2020
Plus, large shovels hold a backbreaking amount of snow.
—James Jackson, Popular Mechanics, 18 Sep. 2019
Drawing on unprecedented research, Chang shows how these men performed some of the most dangerous, most backbreaking work to build out the railroad from California, yet received virtually no credit for their contributions.
—Chris Fuchs, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2019
Spraying fields with pesticides and fertilizers, the drones -- which can cover up to 60 acres a day -- could boost crop yields, save time and make backbreaking field work much easier, according to Bug Away.
—Sarah Lazarus and Dan Tham, CNN, 3 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for backbreaking
oregonlive, 8 Mar. 2020
Plus, large shovels hold a backbreaking amount of snow.
—James Jackson, Popular Mechanics, 18 Sep. 2019
Drawing on unprecedented research, Chang shows how these men performed some of the most dangerous, most backbreaking work to build out the railroad from California, yet received virtually no credit for their contributions.
—Chris Fuchs, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2019
Spraying fields with pesticides and fertilizers, the drones -- which can cover up to 60 acres a day -- could boost crop yields, save time and make backbreaking field work much easier, according to Bug Away.
—Sarah Lazarus and Dan Tham, CNN, 3 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for backbreaking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backbreaking
Adjective
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But their happy romance is soon demolished when Jenny reappears in their lives, thrusting all three into a difficult and messy journey towards true accountability and adulthood.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
7 Mar. 2025
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These protein complexes are highly shape-shifting, making traditional imaging methods very difficult.—
Priyanka Naik,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This can be a challenging variable to track, given that there were insufficient details about the victim's mental health status in approximately 30% of incidents, Rad said.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
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Builders are facing a challenging market with mixed economic signals.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This all adds up to a tough investment outlook for any business looking at Ukraine’s mineral supply.—
Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Ties during Trump’s first term One of the hallmarks of the first Trump Administration was a tougher stance towards China compared to his predecessors, through tit-for-tat tariffs and an Indo-Pacific strategy that aimed to curb Beijing’s growing influence in the Western Pacific.—
Chad de Guzman,
TIME,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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All in all, even a moderate approach was like 12-hours of rigorous cardio.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2025
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Every mortgage article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of mortgage products.—
Kelsey Neubauer,
CNBC,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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As agriculture became less demanding, the sector required fewer workers, enabling erstwhile farmers to work in a spectrum of other trades, including the high-technology industries of each generation, such as textiles, telegraphs, and telecommunications.—
Matthew J. Slaughter,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
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Find early investors in your circle of family and friends, since outside investors may be very demanding on equity and content and normally require at least a prototype to start.—
Martin Zwilling,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.—
Alia Wong,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2023
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Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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JPMorgan said the stock is at an attractive entry point with lower expectations and a formidable path for growth.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2025
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Helmed by Derrick Borte, Bear Country follows an ageing but formidable club owner, Manco Kapak (Crowe), who is robbed by a masked gunman, leaving his aspirations of selling his club and riding off into the sunset alongside his razor sharp girlfriend Sunny (Palmer) more distant than ever.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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There was a heavy police presence, with state troopers stationed around the rotunda.—
Hannah Fingerhut,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2025
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The three tribes had to work together over a long and complicated obstacle course that involved pulling a sled full of puzzle pieces, moving heavy sandbags, pulling the sled up a steep incline and solving a giant puzzle.—
Emily DeLetter,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backbreaking. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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