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

In addition to grueling elite training demands, Lee battled severe kidney disease ahead of her second Olympic Games. — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Each of the butterflies above me had already braved many grueling trials. — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026

After the penultimate stage of the grueling race, Pogacar did not sound sanguine about his prospects for future Tour wins. — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 26 July 2026

The whole enterprise of oil and gas exploration and extraction is grueling, and success is eked out only through hard, complicated labor, much of it done behind the scenes. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 24 July 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