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
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
Anyone who has competed on Survivor or any non-live reality competition knows that being humiliated on-camera doesn’t stop at the end of the taping; there’s typically a period of waiting for the actual show to be televised, and that can be almost as excruciating.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025
Extra canister now, no excruciating diarrhea later.
—New Atlas, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excruciating
Adjective
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
Anyone who has competed on Survivor or any non-live reality competition knows that being humiliated on-camera doesn’t stop at the end of the taping; there’s typically a period of waiting for the actual show to be televised, and that can be almost as excruciating.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025
Extra canister now, no excruciating diarrhea later.
—New Atlas, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excruciating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excruciating
Adjective
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High-Heat-Safe Alternatives While enameled cast-iron cookware is excellent to use for braising, roasting, baking, or gentle stovetop cooking, certain high heat applications like searing steak or blackening fish are best done in other types of pans, like traditional cast iron or stainless steel.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
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After all, Miami seemingly has stamina to withstand searing heat after practicing in it all summer, while the opponent typically comes to town ill-prepared for the oppressive temperatures and humidity.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Now supposedly dying from some terminal illness, Julian has gone total hermit mode inside of his cluttered London apartment, where the walls are festooned with the relics of his success and the backrooms are a junk pile of painful memories.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
9 Sep. 2025
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Dig a little deeper by comparing your top three financial goals and sharing your most painful and joyous money memories.—
Mary Clements Evans,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Pyongyang has continued to exercise significant control over the population and severely restrict the rights and freedoms of its population, and that has only gotten more intense over the last decade.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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This question — which strikes at the heart of a perennial issue in American politics, frequently reignited by recurring mass shootings — sparked an intense partisan divide.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
12 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 backcourt duo of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, also known as the StudBudz, are shifty, tough shot-making guards who can get hot in a hurry.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
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And that’s tough on those guys.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Oysters inspired the researchers because of their remarkable ability to attach to rocks, bridge pilings, or even each other in the harsh underwater environment.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
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But the rules of the Long Walk are harsh and the stakes could not be higher.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 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 16 Sep. 2025.
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