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

Experts say this year’s summer heat has been particularly grueling since nighttime temperatures have remained high and coastal areas have been hotter than usual. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

What began as a routine offshore fishing trip quickly turned into a grueling, three-hour battle that ended with a crowd gathering at the docks in Falmouth, Massachusetts, to watch the giant billfish being weighed. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026

The roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard that ship have spent a grueling nine months at sea with little relief. — Katia Riddle, NPR, 21 Aug. 2026

Richards somehow had the fortitude to continue a grueling European tour in the middle of all this chaos and sorrow, but a stadium run through America at the end of the summer was simply too much to ask. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 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