painstakingly
gb/pˈeɪnstˌeɪkɪŋli/ us/pˈeɪnstˌeɪkɪŋli/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
adverb
C1
action
1
with great care and detail
Very carefully, paying attention to every detail.
Usage pattern:
painstakingly + [verb]
Common mistake:
Learners may use the adjective *painstaking* instead of the adverb (*painstakingly*) before a verb (e.g., not “She painstaking checked”).
Synonyms
meticulously (More explicitly emphasizes precision and exactness.)
|
carefully (More general and less strong.)
|
thoroughly (Emphasizes completeness as well as care.)
Antonyms
hastily (Done too quickly, without enough care.)
|
carelessly (Done with little attention to detail.)
|
roughly (Done in an approximate, not exact way.)
Collocations
painstakingly accurate
|painstakingly detailed
|painstakingly researched
|painstakingly documented
|painstakingly prepared
|painstakingly edited
|painstakingly compiled
|painstakingly recorded
|painstakingly assembled
|painstakingly checked
Themes
work
|education
|writing
|crafts
Examples
- She painstakingly checked every figure before submitting the report.
- The restorer painstakingly cleaned the painting with a soft brush.
- He painstakingly copied the old letters into a digital archive.
Learner examples
- I painstakingly read the instructions before I started.
- She painstakingly corrected her essay.
adverb
C1
process
2
with great effort over time
With a lot of effort and time.
Usage pattern:
painstakingly + [verb] + [something]
Common mistake:
Do not confuse with *painfully* (which means ‘causing pain’ or ‘embarrassingly’).
Synonyms
laboriously (Stronger focus on hard work and slowness.)
|
slowly (Only indicates speed, not the care/effort.)
|
with difficulty (Emphasizes difficulty rather than careful method.)
Antonyms
effortlessly (Done with little or no effort.)
|
quickly (Done fast, without the sense of long effort.)
|
easily (Done without difficulty.)
Collocations
painstakingly slow
|painstakingly long
|painstakingly gathered
|painstakingly rebuilt
|painstakingly reconstructed
|painstakingly traced
|painstakingly restored
|painstakingly removed
Themes
work
|daily_life
|technology
Examples
- They painstakingly rebuilt the database after the system crash.
- She painstakingly worked her way through the visa paperwork.
- The team painstakingly traced the bug to a single line of code.
Learner examples
- He painstakingly fixed the old bike.
- We painstakingly collected the data.
Grammar
Dictionary form
painstakingly
IPA
GB/pˈeɪnstˌeɪkɪŋli/
US/pˈeɪnstˌeɪkɪŋli/
Syllables & stress
painstak - ingly (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (painstak)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: painstakingly
- Plural: painstakinglies
Word family
Forms
painstakinglies
noun
Core family
painstaking
adjective C1
pain
noun A2
Negative and opposite forms
painless
adjective
painlessly
adverb
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.