labored

This term describes a quality of strain where the effort involved is visible or audible, creating a sense of friction. When applied to physical actions like breathing or speaking, it suggests a struggle against resistance or a lack of vitality, often evoking a feeling of exhaustion or medical distress.

In creative or intellectual contexts, the word carries a negative connotation of artificiality. It describes work that feels forced or over-engineered, where the creator's struggle to achieve a result is more apparent than the result itself, leading to a stiff and unconvincing outcome.