excruciating

adjective

ex·​cru·​ci·​at·​ing ik-ˈskrü-shē-ˌā-tiŋ How to pronounce excruciating (audio)
1
: causing great pain or anguish : agonizing
the nation's most excruciating dilemmaW. H. Ferry
2
: very intense : extreme
excruciating pain
excruciatingly adverb

Examples of excruciating in a Sentence

I have an excruciating headache. an excruciating moment of embarrassment They described their vacation in excruciating detail.
Recent Examples on the Web Collins has always been candid about her health struggles and said the pain from her endometriosis – a condition where the tissue that lines the uterus grows outside of it – was excruciating. Ben Church, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 During his hospital stay, Loyola had graying fingertips, swelling and excruciating pain that would wake him up at night, the complaint claims. Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2024 This caused Embiid to grab his knee, and he was seen in excruciating pain. Elizabeth Flores, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024 All of this is no small feat for anyone—but especially for Peck, who, just a few years ago, was facing an excruciating injury that could have ended her career. Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, 22 Feb. 2024 For a person who wants to be connected to other people, and who cares about truthfully communicating the human experience, maintaining a gap between one’s private and public selves can feel uncomfortable at best and excruciating at worst. Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2024 All proceeds will also go towards the healthcare for Bad Brains’ enigmatic frontman H.R., who suffers from an excruciating type of rare headache known as SUNCT. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2024 Riker’s doctors said an aneurysm inside his arteries and veins caused the excruciating pain and surgeons had to drill a hole into his skull to drain blood and fluid in order to relieve pressure. Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024 None of its ten chapters, each of which gives a pseudonymous account of a patient, is easy to read, and some are excruciating. Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of excruciating was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near excruciating

Cite this Entry

“Excruciating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excruciating. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

excruciating

adjective
ex·​cru·​ci·​at·​ing
ik-ˈskrü-shē-ˌāt-iŋ
1
: causing great mental or physical pain : agonizing
excruciating torture
an excruciating decision to leave
2
: very severe
excruciating pain
excruciatingly
-iŋ-lē
adverb
Etymology

derived from Latin excruciatus, past participle of excruciare "to torture," from ex- "out of, from" and cruciare "to torment, crucify," from cruc-, crux "cross" — related to cross, crucial, crucify

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