long and difficult journey synonyms

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10 Words to Describe a Difficult Journey

By Ali Dixon

If you want to present a challenging path a character in your book is taking, illustrate it using the following 10 words to describe a difficult journey.

Challenging or straining ; reaching or surpassing one’s endurance.

“The journey was a long and  trying  one, and by the end of it, they were all relieved to have finally reached their destination.”

“After their  trying  journey there, they took a long, well-earned rest.”

How It Adds Description

If a journey is difficult, then that can require a serious test of endurance.  Describing  the journey as a trying one can emphasize how difficult the journey was. You can use this word with some flexibility as well since a journey could be physically or emotionally trying.

Extending a significant distance or spanning a great length .

“Getting to the other side of the mountains would entail a  long , difficult journey.”

“If they wanted to reach their destination in time, they knew they would have to head out on their  long  journey as soon as possible.”

There are a lot of things that can make a journey difficult, including the length of the journey itself. Putting your character on a long journey can add even more tension to your story and make it more rewarding when your character finally reaches their destination.

Involving or imposing a burden .

“They all knew it would be a tiresome,  onerous  journey, so they made sure that they had packed all the supplies they would need.”

“She thought many times about giving up on her  onerous  journey, but she knew that what waited for her ahead would be worth all the trouble she had gone to.”

Onerous isn’t a word one sees often, so it can stand out to your readers. Seeing it can help to emphasize how much of a burden the adventure that your character is going on is to them.

4. Grueling

Punishing ; difficult to the point of exhaustion.

“After their long,  grueling  journey, they rewarded themselves with a hearty meal and a long, restful sleep.”

“Getting to the other side of the map would without a doubt be a  grueling  task, but it was one that the entire team was up for.”

Want to ensure that your readers know difficult the journey is on your character? Use the word grueling. This word can emphasize that not only is the journey hard, but it feels close to a punishment.

5. Exhausting

Extremely tiring .

“Since they had to plan for such an  exhausting  journey, they spent a long time beforehand making sure that they would have all the supplies they needed.”

“When he started on the road, he had been keen and bright-eyed, but by the end of the  exhausting  and challenging journey, all he wanted to do was rest.”

Something that is exhausting is more than just a little tiring. Calling the journey exhausting will help to describe both the physical state as well as the mental state your character is in when the journey is finally done.

Upward on an incline or hill ; against challenges.

“The  uphill  journey left them feeling nothing but tired by the end of it.”

“She knew that what she would find at the end of the road would be worth it, but the  uphill  climb was going to make things that much more challenging.”

The word uphill can be used literally to describe an inclined terrain your character must go up. You can also use it metaphorically to demonstrate that your character must face other challenges along the way to their destination.

7. Formidable

Causing feelings of apprehension or dread ; impressive of instilling feelings of wonder.

“He had no idea what he would find at the end of his  formidable  journey.”

“As she looked at the map in front of her, she considered what she would have to bring with her on such a  formidable  journey.”

If the journey that one of your characters is going on is quite daunting, then you can describe it as formidable. You can also use it in a slightly more positive sense to show that the journey inspires feelings of awe.

8. Intimidating

Causing a loss of confidence and inspiring feelings of timidity, fear, or anxiety .

“At first it had seemed like an easy adventure, but the more he thought about it, the more  intimidating  it became.”

“The map had seemed  intimidating  at the time, but now that she was well on her way, the road seemed much easier.”

If a journey looks like it’s going to be particularly long or hard, then it’s probably going to be pretty intimidating for the character going on it. This word will help describe the tension your character is experiencing.

Marked by difficult terrain ; challenging to travel through or across; not easy.

“The journey would be a  rough  one, and would require packing several days’ worth of supplies.”

“They would follow the  rough  road all the way to the end.”

The word rough can be used to describe the actual terrain that your characters are traveling across. You can also use it to describe the journey itself, as calling something rough means that it is challenging or not easy.

10. Satisfying

Rewarding ; causing feelings of contentment or pleasure by providing something needed.

“After such a difficult but  satisfying  journey, the team was rewarded with some good food and a few comfortable beds to sleep on.”

“She knew that despite all the challenges, the journey would be  satisfying , especially once she reached the hidden treasure.”

A difficult journey doesn’t have to be entirely negative! When your character finally reaches the end of their road, they’re likely to find a lot of satisfaction. Describing the relief and reward your characters have achieved through this journey will make it feel satisfying to your readers as well.

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noun as in travel from one place to another

Strongest matches

• exploration

Strong matches

• constitutional
• peregrination
• transmigration
• vagabondage

verb as in travel

• peregrinate

Weak matches

• knock about
• take a trip

Example Sentences

If either is selected, it would not launch until 2026 at the earliest, and would take at least a few months to make the journey.

The job is a cherry on top, but the journey and the experience of being able to audition and leave your heart in the room and feel good about it, no matter what happens, that’s rare and that was amazing.

Cross-device measurement helps connect the dots of your customer’s journey and ensures you know how effective your campaigns are at driving user behavior.

You are somewhat of a new grandmother and you’ve been enjoying that journey.

Instead of having numerous articles addressing each of these particular questions, brands and publishers could consolidate this information as it is all pertinent to the same stage of the journey that the user is in.

The brokers then scout out potential “crew members” who can earn substantial discounts for working the journey.

The next day, after driving to Putney on the outskirts of London, we start the end of our journey.

The NYPD Emerald Society pipes and drums struck up a slow march and the procession began the journey to the cemetery.

We began a journey with Koenig in the first episode of Serial.

But the sunlight is threatening to fade and a three-and-a-half-hour river journey back to Kisangani looms.

With a hammer the boy knocked off some of the slats of the small box in which Squinty had made his journey.

Then summoning a smart young jemadar with whom he had talked a good deal during the journey, he asked him to read the chit.

But dismissing them from our thoughts for the time being, as we did then from our presence, let us continue our journey.

If the journey is now distasteful to her, she has but her own rashness to blame in having sought it herself.

It was past sundown when they left San Bernardino, but a full moon made the night as good as day for their journey.

Related Words

Words related to journey are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word journey . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

noun as in existence

• subsistence

noun as in revolution, track, boundary

• bound/bounds
• circulation
• circumference
• circumnavigation
• circumscription
• circumvolution
• perambulation

verb as in sail

• keep steady pace
• push off/push on
• wander about

noun as in sailing expedition

verb as in travel, visit

• pass through

Viewing 5 / 72 related words

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

Long journey synonyms

What is another word for long journey .

• peregrination

Synonyms of difficult

• as in challenging
• as in tough
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Thesaurus Definition of difficult

Synonyms & Similar Words

• challenging
• complicated
• problematic
• problematical
• backbreaking
• troublesome
• pick - and - shovel
• distressing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undemanding
• uncomplicated
• user - friendly
• inconvenient
• importunate
• discommoding
• straightforward
• unproblematic

Try This Instead

Synonym chooser.

How is the word difficult different from other adjectives like it?

The words arduous and hard are common synonyms of difficult . While all three words mean "demanding great exertion or effort," difficult implies the presence of obstacles to be surmounted or puzzles to be resolved and suggests the need of skill or courage.

When would arduous be a good substitute for difficult ?

While in some cases nearly identical to difficult , arduous stresses the need of laborious and persevering exertion.

When could hard be used to replace difficult ?

In some situations, the words hard and difficult are roughly equivalent. However, hard implies the opposite of all that is easy.

Examples of difficult in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'difficult.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Thesaurus Entries Near difficult

differs (over)

difficulties

Cite this Entry

“Difficult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/difficult. Accessed 15 Sep. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on difficult

Nglish: Translation of difficult for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of difficult for Arabic Speakers

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LONG, DIFFICULT JOURNEY Crossword clue

Crossword answers for long, difficult journey, top answers for: long, difficult journey, top answer for long, difficult journey crossword clue from newspapers, long, difficult journey crossword puzzle solutions.

We have 1 solution for the frequently searched for crossword lexicon term LONG, DIFFICULT JOURNEY. Our best crossword lexicon answer is: TREK.

For the puzzel question LONG, DIFFICULT JOURNEY we have solutions for the following word lenghts 4.

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Frequently asked questions for Long, difficult journey:

What is the best solution to the riddle long, difficult journey.

Solution TREK is 4 letters long. So far we haven´t got a solution of the same word length.

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We have 1 solutions to the crossword puzzle LONG, DIFFICULT JOURNEY. The longest solution is TREK with 4 letters and the shortest solution is TREK with 4 letters.

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Example sentences arduous journey

Here, caravans went by camel and by foot, on arduous journeys.

His skill at producing a sparkling lecture after a long and arduous journey was much admired.

His most arduous journey was one of 15,000 miles through Siberia, ending in the Gulag archipelago.

Definition of 'journey' journey

Definition of 'arduous' arduous

Related word partners arduous journey.

Browse alphabetically arduous journey

• arduous climb
• arduous conditions
• arduous journey
• arduous path
• arduous process
• arduous task
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'A'

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[ ahr -joo- uh s or, especially British, ahr -dyoo- ]

an arduous undertaking.

Synonyms: exhausting , burdensome , wearisome , onerous , toilsome , hard

Antonyms: easy

making an arduous effort.

an arduous path up the hill.

an arduous winter.

/ ˈɑːdjʊəs /

• requiring great physical or mental effort; difficult to accomplish; strenuous

arduous conditions

an arduous track

Derived Forms

• ˈarduously , adverb
• ˈarduousness , noun

Other Words From

• ardu·ous·ly adverb
• ardu·ous·ness noun
• super·ardu·ous adjective
• super·ardu·ous·ly adverb
• super·ardu·ous·ness noun
• un·ardu·ous adjective
• un·ardu·ous·ly adverb
• un·ardu·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of arduous 1

Example Sentences

A harsh lockdown, one of the strictest in the world, created a humanitarian crisis of its own, pushing millions of migrant workers to take arduous journeys back home on foot.

When changes concern the matter of how we mark off our identities, though, any alteration would be extremely arduous and require more than education.

Smith played in his first game since his devastating injury, completing an arduous comeback and withstanding a brutal sack from Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

First, we didn’t try to stand up an entirely new educational program on our own, which almost certainly would be a long, arduous process that may not meet the differing needs of academic institutions around the world.

After seventeen surgeries, a life-threatening infection, a lost season and months of arduous rehab, Smith returned to the field in October.

It's slow and arduous and takes great concentration under the best of circumstances.

Bailey, who is also dating the director, said working on a Leigh production was incredibly arduous.

Even more striking are the courteous and collegial manners displayed, even during the arduous filibuster in the Senate.

Once the budget has been creatively handled, a director still faces the arduous task of casting.

The road to the Olympics is already long and arduous enough.

Indeed, 'we have laid upon him various arduous tasks touching the state of the country, and especially its tranquillity.'

But Samuel Adams, who thought "nothing should be despaired of," took upon himself the performance of this arduous task.

Sir Edward Bruce, after an arduous struggle, had taken a firm grip of Galloway by the end of 1308.

Nature seems still to wish to keep the young and blushing girl apart from that connection which entails grave and arduous duties.

Though Weston was more or less accustomed to the work, he found the first few hours sufficiently arduous.

Related Words

• backbreaking
• troublesome