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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Due to the nature of the explosion, recovery efforts have proven to be excruciating for victims’ families and investigators working to clear the area, potentially detonating and recovering any other explosives in the vicinity and using DNA to identify remains, officials have said. Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2025 On the other sideline, the Bears imploded after the loss, dropping their next nine games, some in equally excruciating fashion. David Aldridge, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025 For four years in a row, the Phillies have entered the postseason with high hopes of a World Series and come up short in excruciating fashion. Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025 That is because Deadline is checking out the follow-up to John Morton’s BAFTA-winning BBC satirical comedies Twenty Twelve and W1A, shows that have landed cult status for their excruciating ode to Britishness and in-depth examination of the behind-the-scenes machinations of public institutions. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for excruciating

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of excruciating was in 1599

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Excruciating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excruciating. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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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