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

• arduous
• Augean
• backbreaking
• challenging
• demanding
• difficult
• effortful
• exacting
• formidable
• hard
• heavy
• hellacious
• herculean
• killer
• laborious
• moiling
• murderous
• pick-and-shovel
• rigorous
• rough
• rugged
• severe
• stiff
• strenuous
• sweaty
• tall
• testing
• toilsome
• tough
• uphill

Examples of grueling in a Sentence

running a marathon is grueling

cutting diamonds can be grueling work

Recent Examples on the Web

Throughout the seven episodes, viewers will watch as the dancers embark on the grueling audition process (which includes a weeks-long training camp led by DCC director Kelli Finglass and head choreographer Judy Trammell) and endure emotional cuts to form the 2024-2025 team. —Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 18 June 2025

Sunshine is quite respected, but was grueling to make — about three years of your life in total between writing, production and post. —Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025

That’s for a variety of reasons, but mainly because this is very dangerous and grueling work. —Chloe Sorvino, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

The fight to reduce homeless service worker burnout in a grueling industry. —Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 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