excruciating 1 of 2

adjective

ik-ˈskrü-shē-ˌā-tiŋ How to pronounce excruciating (audio)
Definition of excruciatingnext
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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excruciating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of excruciate
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of excruciating
Adjective
But dropping somebody in a Jacuzzi will cause excruciating pain and can even trigger a heart attack. — Tim MacWelch, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026 That was the most excruciating, but rewarding, part of the process. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 8 July 2026 LeeAnne Loney was facing an excruciating decision in the summer of 2024. — Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 4 July 2026 María Paz Campos, a veteran firefighter from Chile, talked him through the entire operation and kept him calm during the final excruciating hours Thursday. — ABC News, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for excruciating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excruciating
  1. wrenching
  2. searing
  3. painful
  4. intense
  5. plaguing
  6. torturous
  7. tough
  8. harsh
Adjective
  • His most wrenching scene, when Stagg receives a devastating personal call but cannot react amid the intense geopolitical stakes, captured this tension.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
  • Another wrenching question, of course, is whether at least the younger Perez siblings would want or need to go with Olga to Guatemala if she were deported.
    — Tim Padgett, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of wrenching
Adjective
  • Arguably the highest-profile contract cancellation for Flock came when the Los Angeles Police Department decided to non-renew its years-long contract with the company, a decision motivated by a searing internal audit of the company’s technology.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The searing new memoir, ‘The Wound Is Where the Light Enters,’ details Young’s journey from a mandatory life sentence to freedom through self-education and an extraordinary legal fight.
    — Julia M. Klein, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of searing
Adjective
  • In a series of video interludes that break up the performance into acts, Grande plays Peaches, a woman who wants to undergo a procedure to erase her painful memories.
    — Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
  • But any movement that engages her core muscles — bending, turning, stretching — is painful and debilitating.
    — Daniela Suarez, NBC news, 31 July 2026
Definition of painful
Adjective
  • An unusually intense El Niño event is gathering strength in the tropical Pacific in a hurry.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Thousands of Offers Nazareth University, located near Rochester, New York, is using direct admissions in part to reach those outside of the state where competition for students is particularly intense.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of intense
Verb
  • That image stands in contrast to an epidemic of loneliness plaguing older adults that public health experts have sounded the alarm over for years.
    — Taylor Seely, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026
  • This completely sidesteps current debates plaguing Medicare Part B — namely, rapidly mounting medication spending has driven higher premiums and out-of-pocket payments for beneficiaries.
    — Pooja Yerramilli, STAT, 24 July 2026
Definition of plaguing
Adjective
  • From 1873 to 1991, the island served as Costa Rica’s principal penitentiary, where some of the country’s worst criminals were sent to serve often short and torturous sentences.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 July 2026
  • Hellraiser introduced audiences to the mythology of the Lament Configuration puzzle box, the home to a dimensional portal inhabited by the ritualistically torturous beings, the Cenobites, and their leader, the iconic Pinhead.
    — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
Definition of torturous
Adjective
  • That left the debtor having to prove the negative that the debtor really didn't have any way to re-establish control over trust assets, and such was (and still is) a very tough sell.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Lombard also helped turn a double play in the second inning and handled another tough one-hopper hit by Cesar Prieto in the seventh.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • In both premise and execution, the show is hugely reminiscent of the Showtime series of the aughts and early 2010s that featured women in harsh circumstances going to extremes in order to get one over on a society that didn’t care about them.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Although he would not be drawn on future product pricing, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are set for release in September and will be affected by the harsh trading conditions.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of harsh

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Cite this Entry

“Excruciating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excruciating. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on excruciating

Nglish: Translation of excruciating for Spanish Speakers

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