grueling

adjective

gru·​el·​ing ˈgrü-ə-liŋ 

variants or gruelling

: trying or taxing to the point of exhaustion : punishing

a grueling race

a grueling schedule

gruelingly

ˈgrü-ə-liŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of grueling

• difficult
• challenging
• tough
• rigorous
• demanding
• hard
• formidable

Examples of grueling in a Sentence

running a marathon is grueling

cutting diamonds can be grueling work

Recent Examples on the Web

The Dodgers not only have played more games than any other team the last two years, but their schedule has included grueling travel. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

After a grueling couple of days for tech stocks—propelled by drama and speculation around CoreWeave’s debt—traders bought the dip in the last 24 hours and stocks rose globally. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

This increasing self-reliance has an extra benefit in the midst of a grueling war. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

After another stop from the Panther defense, North Crowley’s offense caught a spark with a grueling, relentless tempo. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of obsolete gruel to exhaust, punish, from gruel, noun

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for grueling

• refueling

Kids Definition

grueling

adjective

gru·​el·​ing

variants or gruelling

ˈgrü-ə-liŋ 

: requiring extreme effort : exhausting