Belaboured: meaning, definitions and examples

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belaboured

 

[ bɪˈleɪbərd ]

Adjective / Verb
Context #1 | Adjective

laborious effort

Belaboured refers to something that is excessively detailed or elaborated, often becoming tedious. It can describe speech or writing that is overly complicated or dragged out, making a point more difficult to understand.

Synonyms

drawn-out, excessive, overworked, strained

Examples of usage

  • The belaboured explanation confused more than clarified.
  • Her belaboured arguments annoyed the audience.
  • He provided a belaboured account of the incident that no one wanted to hear.
Context #2 | Verb

to stress

To belabour is to explain something in excessive detail or to overemphasize a point. This often leads to repetition and a lack of clarity in communication.

Synonyms

dwell on, overemphasize, reiterate, reiterate excessively

Examples of usage

  • She belaboured the main idea, making it hard to remember.
  • In his speech, he belaboured the importance of teamwork.
  • They belaboured the point so much that it lost its impact.

Translations

Translations of the word "belaboured" in other languages:

🇵🇹 trabalhador

🇮🇳 कड़ी मेहनत किया हुआ

🇩🇪 mühsam

🇮🇩 berat

🇺🇦 зусилля

🇵🇱 ciężki

🇯🇵 苦労した

🇫🇷 laborieux

🇪🇸 trabajoso

🇹🇷 zorlayıcı

🇰🇷 고된

🇸🇦 مرهق

🇨🇿 pracný

🇸🇰 náročný

🇨🇳 费力的

🇸🇮 naporen

🇮🇸 erfið

🇰🇿 қиын

🇬🇪 რთული

🇦🇿 çətin

🇲🇽 difícil

Word origin

The word 'belaboured' stems from the verb 'belabour', which is derived from the prefix 'be-' meaning 'thoroughly' and the word 'labour' originating from the Latin 'labor'. The concept conveys the idea of putting in excessive effort, often to the point of losing clarity. The usage of 'belabour' became more prominent in the English language around the late 19th to early 20th century, and it has since adapted to describe both the act of over-explaining and the resulting verbose style of communication. As language has evolved, the term has taken on a broader context, often applied in literary critiques and discussions about clarity in writing and speech. It reflects a common phenomenon in both casual communication and formal discourse where speakers or writers may unintentionally complicate their message.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #38,608, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.