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

None of which prepared him for the grueling physical toll of ballroom dancing. — Lily Moayeri, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026

There’s also Will Warren, who has pitched well of late, and Clarke Schmidt, who was activated off the IL on Wednesday after a grueling recovery from Tommy John surgery. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026

There were days during the New York Giants’ grueling training camp this summer that even left tackle Andrew Thomas, who has impeccable football character, was worn down. — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Its two-hour runtime is somewhat excessive but perhaps prudent to capture the sit-in’s grueling length. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 Sep. 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