grueling

adjective

gru·​el·​ing ˈgrü-ə-liŋ How to pronounce grueling (audio)
variants or gruelling
: trying or taxing to the point of exhaustion : punishing
a grueling race
gruelingly adverb

Examples of grueling in a Sentence

running a marathon is grueling cutting diamonds can be grueling work
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.
To prepare for this drastic uptick in pace, the Celtics staged a grueling training camp filled with running and high-intensity drills. Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 Oct. 2025 The trick to looking pulled together even on the most grueling travel day? Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025 One particularly grueling day, Hawke and Scott worked through a seven-page scene that required them to condense 25 years of friendship into a single argument. Clayton Davis, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025 The start of the 2025 season was a grueling one for the Aces, who began the year 14-14 before winning their last 16 regular season games. Don Riddell, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grueling

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grueling was in 1852

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grueling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grueling. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

grueling

adjective
gru·​el·​ing
variants or gruelling
: requiring extreme effort : exhausting

More from Merriam-Webster on grueling

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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