1
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
he finally visited the doctor when the pain became too excruciating to ignore
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2
as in searing
difficult to endure
the excruciating heat that the settlers faced as they crossed the deserts of the Southwest
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3
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
most excruciating of all was the endless wait for news of any survivors of the plane crash
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4
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the excruciating grief they felt upon the loss of their dear grandfather
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as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to
she has long been excruciated by an undiagnosed pain in her knee
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of excruciating
Ciara McCarthy 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Sep. 2025
These are the Browns, which means more excruciating losses are inevitably incoming.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
After that excruciating miss Saturday, Sabalenka dropped her racket on the blue court and smiled a rueful smile.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
After that excruciating miss, Sabalenka dropped her racket on the blue court and smiled a rueful smile.
—Howard Fendrich, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excruciating
Adjective
But the Guttenfelders didn’t worry until one day, when the two were at a seminar together, Ni left to go to the bathroom, and came back in excruciating pain, Jeff said.
—Ciara McCarthy 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Sep. 2025
These are the Browns, which means more excruciating losses are inevitably incoming.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
After that excruciating miss Saturday, Sabalenka dropped her racket on the blue court and smiled a rueful smile.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
After that excruciating miss, Sabalenka dropped her racket on the blue court and smiled a rueful smile.
—Howard Fendrich, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excruciating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excruciating
Adjective
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The next few minutes show her searing chicken that’s been marinated in paprika, salt and pepper, and sauteeing onions and tomatoes.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
20 Sep. 2025
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Many now consider Scorsese’s searing, boisterous boxing drama one of the director’s best — a brutal, black-and-white symphony of rage and violence.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In other words, the more painful the cry sounded, the warmer the listener's face became—and the effect was the same for both men and women.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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The Queen could have surgery to remove bunions, but has been warned against it as the surgery is too painful.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This blaze is intense enough that firefighters used water lines to moisten the soil around trees and wrapped their trunks with fire-resistant foil blankets.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
20 Sep. 2025
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From time to time, there’s still an intense demand for anything connected to the Fab Four, and countless films, books, and albums have been issued in the decades since the musicians split.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Large swaths of eastern Colorado have evaded the drought plaguing most of the state west of 25.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
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The group discussed several issues still plaguing the towing industry and vehicle owners after the legislature overhauled the state’s more than 100-year-old law in May.—
Dave Altimari,
ProPublica,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Within the film’s compact running time, writer-director Ben Hania traces the fraught and torturous hours of January 29, 2024, when Palestine Red Crescent volunteers in the West Bank tried to calm a terrified 6-year-old girl and get an ambulance to her in Gaza.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
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From the almost humorous to the truly torturous, being plunked into unknown wilderness in total isolation—which is what happens on Alone—results in all manner of strange mental phenomenon.—
Woniya Thibeault,
Outside,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The Red Rocketeers were looking to bounce back after a tough loss against King Phillip, but the opponent was strong.—
Zachary McMahon,
Boston Herald,
20 Sep. 2025
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Lee described the rookies as tough competitors who displayed a championship mentality during their run to the summer league championship.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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These findings highlight an urgent need to shield stem cells from the harsh realities of space.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
20 Sep. 2025
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Rain is coming, penciled in for an hour or two from now, and a harsh British wind is flinging leaves off branches and cloaking the countryside with something that smells dungy and damp.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Advertisement The flurry of updates came three days after Robinson was arrested following an intensive hunt for Kirk's killer.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
14 Sep. 2025
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Doing this requires massive system level integration and is resource intensive.—
Thomas Coughlin,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excruciating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excruciating. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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