taxing work

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "taxing work" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a job or task that is physically or mentally demanding and requires a lot of effort. Example: "After a long day of taxing work, I felt completely exhausted and ready to relax."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

19 human-written examples

For now, I'm going to do less taxing work.

The New Yorker

As you can see, this is scarcely taxing work.

The New York Times

A carbon tax would significantly reduce the deficit and raise revenue — without taxing work or investment.

The New York Times

Because of their taxing work schedules and family lives, Donaghy and Foster rarely socialized in person.

The New York Times - Sports

Since the amount of land is fixed, taxing it cannot distort supply in the way that taxing work or saving might discourage effort or thrift.

The Economist

We have now been able to reduce maternal mortality by around 40%," Atté says, his posture relaxed and confident, a smile on his lips despite the taxing work.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

41 human-written examples

Reports highlighted taxing working conditions.

The New York Times

But will the so-called "Google tax" work?

Independent

But the soda tax work has been stopped.

The New York Times

I desperately want to see green taxes work.

The Guardian - Opinion

You're describing the way taxes work globally.

The Guardian - Tech

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In economic writing, ensure the context clearly distinguishes between the difficulty of a job and the act of a government applying taxes to employment income.

Common error

Avoid using "taxing work" if you simply mean work related to the field of taxation (accounting, audits, etc). In that case, use "tax work" as a compound noun. "Taxing" as an adjective always implies a sense of strain or burden.

Linguistic Context

In the phrase "taxing work", the word "taxing" serves as a present participle acting as an adjective. It modifies the noun "work" to indicate that the labor is burdensome or exhausting. Ludwig AI confirms this structure is standard and grammatically sound.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Formal & Business

15%

Science

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Social Media

2%

Fiction

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "taxing work" is a well-established English expression that primarily describes tasks that are demanding, tiring, or physically and mentally draining. Analysis from Ludwig shows its prevalence in high-tier journalism and scientific discourse, where it often describes everything from manual mining to emotionally heavy medical duties. However, a secondary meaning exists in economic contexts, where it describes the government action of applying a tax to labor. Writers should ensure their context makes this distinction clear. Overall, it is a sophisticated alternative to "hard work" that carries a stronger connotation of being drained by the effort.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

demanding work

Emphasizes the high level of effort or skill required

arduous labor

More formal and suggests extreme physical or mental exertion

strenuous activity

Often used in physical or medical contexts to denote high intensity

exhausting tasks

Focuses on the resulting fatigue of the individual

rigorous duties

Implies strict adherence to high standards and intense effort

laborious process

Highlights the time-consuming and difficult nature of a procedure

draining assignment

Focuses on the emotional or mental depletion caused by the work

heavy workload

Refers to the quantity of work rather than its difficulty level

taxation of labor

The fiscal equivalent when referring to government policy rather than effort

challenging job

A more positive spin that focuses on the difficulty as a growth opportunity

FAQs

How do I use "taxing work" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe any difficult task, for example: "After a day of taxing work in the fields, the laborers were exhausted."

What is a more formal synonym for "taxing work"?

A more formal alternative is "arduous labor" or "exacting duties".

Does "taxing work" refer to taxes or effort?

It most commonly refers to effort (demanding/tiring), but in economic contexts like those found in The Economist, it can refer to the fiscal policy of "taxing income" from employment.

Is "taxing work" a common expression?

Yes, it is a very common and neutral expression used in high-quality journalism and academic papers to describe various forms of strain.