excruciating

1 of 2

adjective

ex·​cru·​ci·​at·​ing ik-ˈskrü-shē-ˌā-tiŋ 

1

: causing great pain or anguish : agonizing

… the nation's most excruciating dilemma …

—W. H. Ferry

2

: very intense : extreme

excruciating pain

excruciatingly

ik-ˈskrü-shē-ˌā-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

excruciating

2 of 2

present participle of excruciate

Synonyms of excruciating

Adjective

• wrenching
• torturous
• agonizing
• intense
• torturing

Examples of excruciating in a Sentence

Adjective

I have an excruciating headache.

an excruciating moment of embarrassment

They described their vacation in excruciating detail.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Part sometimes excruciating dark comedy, part sci-fi mindwarp and part suspense thriller whose grip bids fair to surprise at San Sebastián. — Callum McLennan, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026

Johnson and Martin saw their breakup go public a little over a year ago, which had to be excruciating for someone as private as Johnson. — Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026

The experience of watching the film was ambiently excruciating, like twiddling your thumbs at a bus stop on a humid day. — Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026

Medetomidine withdrawal is known to be excruciating, with an elevated heart rate and blood pressure that can, in severe cases, be life-threatening. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for excruciating

• abdicating
• abrogating
• activating
• actuating
• advocating
• aggravating
• aggregating
• agitating
• allocating
• alternating
• animating
• annotating

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

Adjective

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