One word for a “very tough task”

Question

I need one word to describe a very tough task or a task which one is unwilling to do.

like in the sentence:

It's very tough to talk politely with the person who is rude to you.

Answer 1

Let's get downright crude here: It's a bitch to talk politely with a person who's rude to you. Typical idiomatic American street talk and locker room lingo. Also heard in classrooms, at sidewalk cafes, and other places where American speakers congregate and jawbone.

Answer 2

The first word that came to my mind was ordeal: a difficult, painful experience. Only one word and it's a noun, not an adjective.

Answer 3

Arduous is the first word that comes to mind for me.

Answer 4

If it is not just unpleasant, but hopeless , perhaps sisyphean

denoting a task that can never be completed.

Answer 5

If you want alternatives to tough as an attributive adjective, you can take your pick from hard, difficult, irksome, challenging, strenuous, laborious, uphill. All can be used predicatively as well, except the last.

Answer 6

te·di·ous/ˈtēdēəs/ (Google)
Adjective:
Too long, slow, or dull: tiresome or monotonous: "a tedious journey".
Synonyms:
tiresome - wearisome - dull - prosy - irksome - weary

exasperating - (thefreedictionary)
ex·as·per·ate ( g-z s p -r t ). tr.v. ex·as·per·at·ed, ex·as·per·at·ing, ex·as·per·ates.
1. To make very angry or impatient; annoy greatly.

There are a few more words with a meaning on those lines.

Answer 7

If it's tough in terms of the scale or effort required,

Herculean:

1. Of extraordinary difficulty, might, power, size, etc.; of or relating to Hercules in size or strength.
2. Requiring a huge amount of work, as a Herculean labour, a Herculean task.

If it's tough in terms of its unsavouriness,

odious:

1. Arousing or meriting strong dislike, aversion, or intense displeasure.

You can find words similar to either sense by using a thesaurus.

Edit: As per the OP's comment,

Trying to talk politely with a rude person is an odious task

or, using a tamer synonym,

It is very challenging to talk politely to a person who is rude to you.

Answer 8

We can use "Herculean" word for the a very tough task

example we can say "a herculean task"

is another word for the same :Extremely difficult

Answer 9

Labor. I don't know what OP is looking for exactly, as it's not clear from his question. But based on OP's question title labor seems to be the right fit. Here is what the OED has to say:

1. work, esp. hard physical work: the price of repairs includes labor and parts.

Answer 10

After your clarification, I'd suggest duty. Duty usually suggests something that is disagreeable or difficult

It is your duty as a police officer to be polite to the public.

Although it can be used for something pleasant, this is in usually in a jocular sense

It is my duty to check the quality of the beer in my local pub