Operose

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɒpəɹəʊs/

Definitions

1. Requiring or involving a great deal of effort, labor, or painstaking work
2. Characterized by a significant amount of arduous effort, toil, and hard work
3. Involving extensive labor, diligence, and a considerable degree of effort in completing tasks

Etymology: "Operose" comes straight from Latin "operōsus," meaning "full of work" or "laborious," built from "opus" ("work") with the suffix "-ōsus," which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "full of" or "characterised by." The same pairing gives English words like "grandiose" and "verbose," so "operose" follows a familiar pattern: something "operose" is, literally, full of work. The word's Latin base "opus" is also the source of "opera," "operate," and "operation," which is a useful clue to its meaning. Where those words emphasise a process being carried out, "operose" keeps the older sense of sheer toil, a task that demands considerable exertion.

Synonyms: arduous, laborious, difficult, strenuous, hard

Antonyms: easy, simple, effortless