as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
dreaded the Augean task of cleaning the bathroom after an overflow of the toilet
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Recent Examples of Augean
Obasanjo’s return to power as a civilian leader was supposed to be an economic and political reset, a cleaning of the Augean stables.
—
Uzodinma Iweala, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2022
Uzodinma Iweala, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Augean
Adjective
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Generations of design successors have insisted that pie charts are difficult to read and even amount to optical informatic illusions, but we are still stuck with them.—
Mara Mills,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2025
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There are very big match-ups being played week in and week out in what is one of the most difficult leagues to play in on the planet, this means the big contenders will drop points more often than in some other leagues.—
Joseph O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And the small launch business has proven to be economically challenging.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
4 Apr. 2025
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Assessing type A skills of collaboration solely from resumes can be challenging.—
Ming-Chien Chyu,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That’s the cost of such rigorous theming: Since you’re supposed to be inside a game, anything that gets in the way of that illusion is banned.—
Todd Anderson,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
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There are a variety of platforms that can support rigorous experimentation and analysis.—
Roli Saxena,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Scene-stealing comedic parts in the Pitch Perfect franchise and on series like Modern Family led to more physically demanding opportunities in series like The Righteous Gemstones.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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Here’s a brief comparison between top programs in the United States and the United Kingdom: • U.S. Programs (e.g., Wharton, Kellogg): These are typically two years long with frequent in-person sessions; these programs offer an immersive but demanding experience.—
Shai Zamanian,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In the great-power competition with the United States’ adversaries, none is more formidable than the Chinese Communist Party.—
Arthur Herman,
National Review,
3 Apr. 2025
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Tyler Glasnow is formidable on the mound when healthy.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the Lotus ladies will have some tough competition, including seven-time winner Allison Janney, two-time winner Patricia Arquette, and potential double nominee Kaitlyn Dever.—
Kristen Baldwin,
EW.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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What tough lessons does Cole learn through the process of getting involved with a patient this season?—
Max Gao,
Variety,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, Republicans lacked the votes to pass anything so their amendments tended to be trollish and toilsome fliers meant to either own the libs or just annoy the legislators.—
Matt Ford,
The New Republic,
9 Aug. 2022
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But as these commemorations advance these important discussions, another more toilsome question continues to unfold in the background: What will happen to those who actually participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol?—
Jason Linkins,
The New Republic,
8 Jan. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Augean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Augean. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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