Synonyms of crushing

crushing 1 of 2

adjective

as in overwhelming

Related Words

• overwhelming
• painful
• unacceptable
• unbearable
• uncomfortable
• harsh
• insufferable
• intolerable
• intense
• horrid
• gruesome
• shocking
• terrible
• appalling
• horrifying
• horrible
• hard
• extreme
• nightmarish
• vile
• sickening
• dreadful
• excruciating
• harrowing
• acute
• horrendous
• tormenting
• revolting
• unendurable
• insupportable
• torturous
• repulsive
• disgusting
• offensive
• unsupportable
• wretched
• piercing
• obnoxious
• loathsome
• unspeakable
• repugnant
• heinous
• comfortless
• odious
• nauseating
• noxious
• distasteful

Dissimilar Words

• sustainable
• tolerable
• acceptable
• endurable
• sufferable
• adequate
• satisfactory
• livable
• supportable
• allowable
• reasonable
• admissible

crushing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of crush

1

as in mashing

to cause to become a pulpy mass

dark-colored grapes that will be crushed to make red wine

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mashing
• squeezing
• squashing
• pressing
• pulping
• pounding
• beating
• pulverizing
• powdering

2

as in quelling

to put a stop to (something) by the use of force

the government is doing everything to crush the latest guerrilla uprising

Synonyms & Similar Words

• quelling
• suppressing
• subduing
• repressing
• squashing
• silencing
• quashing
• destroying
• overcoming
• sitting on
• stifling
• extinguishing
• squelching
• cracking down (on)
• demolishing
• clamping down (on)
• slapping down
• throttling
• wrecking
• quenching
• obliterating
• decimating
• strangling
• putting down
• smothering
• smashing
• devastating
• annihilating
• snuffing (out)
• ruining
• dominating
• conquering
• wasting
• exterminating
• subjugating
• dousing
• vanquishing
• wiping out
• overwhelming
• overpowering
• putting out
• nuking
• desolating
• rubbing out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• supporting
• assisting
• helping
• aiding
• backing
• stirring
• abetting
• provoking
• inciting
• promoting
• whipping (up)
• advancing
• encouraging
• cultivating
• propping up
• fostering
• furthering
• fomenting
• forwarding
• instigating
• nurturing
• nourishing

3

as in grinding

to reduce to fine particles

crushed the baby's medicine tablet and mixed it with applesauce

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grinding
• pounding
• beating
• disintegrating
• pulverizing
• crumbling
• milling
• powdering
• smashing
• comminuting
• atomizing
• braying
• mulling
• shattering
• grating
• fracturing
• breaking
• crunching
• fragmenting
• splintering
• busting
• dashing
• kibbling
• micronizing

4

as in devastating

to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress

the terrible news of her death simply crushed the entire family

Synonyms & Similar Words

• devastating
• overcoming
• overwhelming
• oppressing
• grinding (down)
• swamping
• overpowering
• rocking
• prostrating
• overmastering
• drowning
• disturbing
• flooring
• defeating
• shattering
• whelming
• sinking
• snowing under
• throwing
• upsetting
• refuting
• distressing
• staggering
• deluging
• demoralizing
• breaking
• unnerving
• confuting
• unmanning

5

as in squeezing

to apply external pressure on so as to force out the juice or contents of

after crushing the grapes, let the skins soak in the juice in order to extract some color

Synonyms & Similar Words

• squeezing
• mashing
• pressing
• expressing
• extracting
• reaming
• pulping
• extruding
• pureeing

6

as in cramming

to fit (people or things) into a tight space

the desperate refugees were crushed into the back of the truck

Synonyms & Similar Words

• squeezing
• cramming
• loading
• wedging
• jamming
• packing
• ramming
• sandwiching
• crowding
• stuffing
• filling
• shoehorning
• heaping
• jam-packing

7

as in hugging

to put one's arms around and press tightly

she tearfully crushed the child to her breast

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hugging
• clasping
• clinging
• cradling
• embracing
• grabbing
• grasping
• holding
• straining
• wrapping
• enfolding
• bear-hugging
• clamping
• enclasping
• gripping
• patting
• encircling
• enveloping
• locking
• folding
• snuggling
• stroking
• entwining
• bosoming
• embosoming
• cuddling
• twining
• petting
• nuzzling
• fondling
• nestling
• enwinding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of crushing

Adjective

And that makes his collapse all the more crushing. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026

Even the laughs and smiles that Joe and Kate Keller issue are fleeting, a respite from the journey toward a more crushing reality. — David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026

Verb

Oakley and Reid lean so heavily into Elinor and Marianne’s crushing disappointments and the forces holding them back in a period of vast gender inequity, that their sorrows shove the characters’ more captivating qualities to the side. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026

Merz quashed talk within the press and his own party about his possible resignation despite Sunday's losses for his party just two weeks after a crushing defeat in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. — Esme Nicholson, NPR, 21 Sep. 2026

His party faces the prospect of a crushing defeat in midterm elections that are only six weeks away. — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

The Pirates completed a sweep of the Royals with three comeback victories — and for the Royals, crushing losses. — Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026

Corporate political spending is already crushing records this election cycle. — Sarah Pray, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2026

Abby was struck 19 times by a hatchet-like object, with several blows crushing through her skull. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2026

Investigators also accuse Iran’s theocratic government of crimes against humanity in crushing dissent, citing killings, torture and looming executions, and urge both Washington and Tehran to halt abuses and compensate victims. — Jamey Keaten, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

About 90% of the winery’s business is growing and crushing grapes to produce bulk wine for other vintners, some of which are also navigating the Canadian market loss. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026