BELABORED Synonyms: 176 Similar and Opposite Words

belabored

verb

past tense of belabor

as in emphasized

to speak or write about insistently and usually tiresomely stop belaboring the fact that they're already in debt

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in attacked

to criticize harshly and usually publicly there's no need to belabor other people's flaws when you're hardly perfect yourself

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in licked

to strike repeatedly with a whip he belabored a horse almost to the point of death

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of belabored Every word seems carefully chosen, yet none of it seems belabored. — Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 18 Sep. 2026 There is no offseason from a city’s and a fanbase’s obsession, but last season has long been over, a fact that coach Ben Johnson has belabored since his team bowed out of the playoffs on an overtime field goal last January. — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026 The gags are both belabored and feeble. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 26 June 2026 During Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, one health announcement came fast — the other was belabored at length. — Mario Aguilar, STAT, 9 June 2026 Jones belabored this point as well, once again citing packing too much and how a broken zipper can quickly turn messy if security is unable to quickly re-pack your belongings. — Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 13 Feb. 2026 His restraint suits a story in which machine-kind and humankind begin to feel shrink-wrapped together, the ghosts belabored by increasing social pressure, the humans jolted by high-voltage wires. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026 Its instructions are vague, its arguments belabored and its absurdist fables too plentiful. — Book Marks october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for belabored

Verb

Their ensuing correspondence with the department began politely but devolved into threats and demands emphasized in italic type.

— Barton Gellman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
The researchers emphasized that expanding underground CO₂ storage will be essential to meet international climate goals.

— Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of emphasized

Verb

The men were returning to camp when their white armored Toyota Land Cruiser was attacked by members of the two Haitian gangs.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
After Israel accepted its meager portion, Arabs attacked and retained a significant part of the land that was to be divided between Jews and Arabs.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of attacked

Verb

Global energy outlook Executives from both firms stressed the project’s engineering demands.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
Sheeran subsequently stressed that the decision to remove Macklemore was not his, writing that it had been made by the promoter and venues.

— Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of stressed

Verb

Ivan Bates, who slammed the inability to get justice for the family, also addressed juvenile accountability in his new Beyond the Status Quo podcast with DJS Secretary Betsy Fox Tolentino.

— Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Trump has also waived sanctions on Russia, a move which Zelenskyy slammed as helping Putin push on with Moscow’s full-scale invasion, which will hit the five-year mark in February.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of slammed

Verb

Hail the size of golf balls and damaging wind gusts pounded northern and central Arizona in a rare storm blowing through, bringing with it tornado risks and possible flash floods.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
But the boat overtook me, pounded at me as if asking me not to leave it.

— Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of pounded

Verb

For example, just recently, Musk publicly scolded the CEO of Delta in a scorching post on X when the airline did not partner with Starlink to provide Wi-Fi on Delta flights.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
But leaders seeking to encourage tourism scolded residents who warned of the danger on social media.

— Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of scolded

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belabor

belabored

belaboring

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Style

“Belabored.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belabored. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of belabored

verb

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