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
Examples of grueling in a Sentence
running a marathon is grueling
cutting diamonds can be grueling work
Recent Examples on the Web
But these days his most grueling endurance event isn’t a swim-bike-run.
—
Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 25 Nov. 2025
The two stars detail some of their emotionally grueling scenes.
—Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Nov. 2025
A week of life and going through something grueling isn’t all that bad in retrospect.
—Abigail Wise, Outside, 17 Nov. 2025
After feeling regret for bringing on the wrong people, the former Coach CEO developed a grueling interview strategy, complete with an EQ rating and 80-skill test.
—Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grueling
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.
Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 25 Nov. 2025
The two stars detail some of their emotionally grueling scenes.
—Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Nov. 2025
A week of life and going through something grueling isn’t all that bad in retrospect.
—Abigail Wise, Outside, 17 Nov. 2025
After feeling regret for bringing on the wrong people, the former Coach CEO developed a grueling interview strategy, complete with an EQ rating and 80-skill test.
—Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Cite this Entry
“Grueling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grueling. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share