The painstaking restoration of the ancient manuscript required magnifying lenses and weeks of delicate work.
对古代手稿的精心修复需要放大镜和数周的精细工作。
Before describing any of the results, the wildlife survey's methods section explains in painstaking detail how camera traps were positioned, calibrated, and checked weekly throughout the six-month study.
From a Text Structure and Purpose question · Craft and Structure
Which choice best defines “painstaking”?
B — Very careful, meticulous. “painstaking” means very careful, meticulous.
Which word means “very careful, meticulous”?
B — painstaking. “painstaking” means very careful, meticulous.
painstaking — very careful, meticulous. In Chinese: 辛苦的，细心的.
painstaking is pronounced /ˈpeɪnzteɪkɪŋ/.
The painstaking restoration of the ancient manuscript required magnifying lenses and weeks of delicate work. (对古代手稿的精心修复需要放大镜和数周的精细工作。)
meticulous, thorough, careful — all close in meaning to painstaking (very careful, meticulous).
careless, hasty — each the opposite of painstaking (very careful, meticulous).
Yes. painstaking is on the SAT Prep Easy list — mid-frequency academic words that do get tested. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.
pain(painful)+stak(gathering)