grueling

adjective

gru·​el·​ing ˈgrü-ə-liŋ 

variants or gruelling

: trying or taxing to the point of exhaustion : punishing

a grueling race

gruelingly

ˈgrü-ə-liŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• difficult
• challenging
• demanding
• tough
• rigorous
• tall
• hard

Examples of grueling in a Sentence

running a marathon is grueling

cutting diamonds can be grueling work

Recent Examples on the Web

Season 1 premiered in the summer of 2000 with 16 people looking to survive the elements of a remote area in Borneo, Malaysia, for 39 days while competing in grueling challenges, all while trying to avoid being voted out at tribal councils. —Christopher Kuhagen, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025

There’s a lot of factors that can make the early days of Survivor feel downright grueling. —Nick Caruso, TVLine, 22 Sep. 2025

At the mentor’s remote compound, the athlete undergoes psychological torture to accompany the grueling physical training. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025

This includes the grueling Asgard Pass, which ascends 2,000 vertical feet in less than a mile (look out for mountain goats and have an offline map handy). —Madison Chapman, Outside, 17 Sep. 2025

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