adverb C2 Proficient

painstakingly

PAYN-stay-kihng-lee

Painstakingly (adverb) means With great care and thoroughness; very slowly and meticulously. Example: “He painstakingly rebuilt the engine piece by piece.”

adverb

With great care and thoroughness; very slowly and meticulously.

"He painstakingly rebuilt the engine piece by piece."

"The team painstakingly translated every line of the manuscript."

How to use painstakingly

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDoing something with a slow, careful, detail-focused effort.

Word forms

more painstakingly comparative, most painstakingly superlative

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “painstakingly” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

He _____ rebuilt the engine piece by piece.

Etymology

From painstaking plus -ly.

Synonyms

View more →

fastidiously

Rhymes for painstakingly

kingly tingly lovingly amazingly willingly seemingly mockingly knowingly alarmingly annoyingly strikingly shockingly

See all rhymes for painstakingly →

Frequently asked questions

What does “painstakingly” mean?

The word “painstakingly” means with great care and thoroughness; very slowly and meticulously. In plain terms, doing something with a slow, careful, detail-focused effort.

How do you pronounce “painstakingly”?

“Painstakingly” is pronounced PAYN-stay-kihng-lee (/ˈpeɪnˌsteɪkɪŋli/ in IPA).

How do you use “painstakingly” in a sentence?

Here is “painstakingly” used in a sentence: “He painstakingly rebuilt the engine piece by piece.”

What part of speech is “painstakingly”?

“Painstakingly” is an adverb.

Featured in

Vocabulary lists that include painstakingly:

C2 vocabulary words