Synonyms of excruciating

excruciating 1 of 2

adjective

ik-ˈskrü-shē-ˌā-tiŋ 

1

as in wrenching

intensely or unbearably painful

he finally visited the doctor when the pain became too excruciating to ignore

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wrenching
• torturous
• agonizing
• intense
• torturing
• harrowing
• raging
• extreme
• tormenting
• violent
• acute
• exquisite
• racking
• biting
• fierce
• stabbing
• vehement
• tearing
• stinging
• penetrating
• sharp
• piercing
• shooting
• tingling
• cutting
• smarting

2

as in searing

difficult to endure

the excruciating heat that the settlers faced as they crossed the deserts of the Southwest

Synonyms & Similar Words

• searing
• tough
• harsh
• oppressive
• brutal
• severe
• hard
• rough
• painful
• trying
• cruel
• grim
• onerous
• burdensome
• heavy
• grievous
• inhuman
• bitter
• murderous
• bleak
• rugged
• unbearable
• stiff
• uncomfortable
• agonizing
• unpleasant
• hardhanded
• discomforting
• rigorous
• strict
• overwhelming
• bad
• inhospitable
• intolerable
• crushing
• unendurable
• forbidding
• stringent
• spartan
• austere
• inclement
• biting
• comfortless
• tortuous
• heartbreaking
• insufferable
• harrowing
• intemperate
• wretched
• grinding
• wild
• heartrending
• insupportable
• disagreeable
• hostile
• wearing
• unfriendly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• light
• soft
• comfortable
• pleasant
• luxurious
• agreeable
• friendly
• cozy
• hospitable
• peaceful
• genial
• tolerable
• bearable
• restful
• relaxing
• painless
• mild
• moderate
• gentle
• calm
• snug
• endurable
• temperate
• balmy
• reposeful
• clement

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• painful
• harsh
• torturous
• cruel
• agonizing
• horrible
• terrible
• harrowing
• bitter
• severe
• unbearable
• grievous
• hurtful
• awful
• unacceptable
• galling
• tormenting
• dreadful
• intolerable
• heartrending
• unendurable
• afflicting
• insufferable
• bad
• miserable
• intense
• appalling
• dire
• extreme
• insupportable
• acute
• ghastly
• vile
• wretched
• nasty
• unsupportable
• rotten
• piercing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gratifying
• sweet
• pleasing
• tolerable
• bearable
• endurable
• sustainable
• acceptable
• supportable
• reasonable
• survivable
• allowable
• livable
• sufferable

4

as in intense

extreme in degree, power, or effect

the excruciating grief they felt upon the loss of their dear grandfather

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intense
• intensive
• terrible
• fierce
• ferocious
• deep
• furious
• profound
• heavy
• acute
• violent
• dreadful
• vicious
• ghastly
• explosive
• exquisite
• blistering
• frightful
• fearful
• fearsome
• hard
• vehement
• hellacious
• intensified
• keen
• heavy-duty
• aggravated
• almighty
• harsh
• severe
• heightened
• concentrated
• magnified
• enhanced
• exhaustive
• thorough
• stressed
• deepened
• accentuated
• rigorous
• emphasized

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• moderate
• light
• weak
• soft
• feeble
• superficial
• shallow
• eased
• qualified
• decreased
• reduced
• moderated
• diminished
• toned (down)
• subdued
• alleviated
• lessened
• lightened
• abated

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plaguing
• afflicting
• persecuting
• torturing
• agonizing
• harrowing
• anguishing
• tormenting
• cursing
• besieging
• bothering
• troubling
• attacking
• stinging
• bedeviling
• besetting
• racking
• aggravating
• disturbing
• annoying
• exasperating
• overwhelming
• striking
• distressing
• irritating
• pursuing
• worrying
• discomforting
• badgering
• upsetting
• vexing
• harassing
• trying
• disquieting
• grieving
• hurting
• assailing
• chafing
• hounding
• irking
• galling
• dogging
• riding
• griping
• perturbing
• nettling
• pestering
• stressing
• stabbing
• harrying
• bugging
• grating
• agitating
• smarting
• oppressing
• straining
• molesting
• overpowering
• rasping
• crushing
• riling
• paining
• pricking
• smiting
• putting out
• victimizing
• tyrannizing
• piquing
• flustering
• peeving
• wringing
• getting
• discomposing
• hagriding
• panging
• martyring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• assisting
• helping
• aiding
• abetting
• relieving
• delivering
• releasing
• comforting
• soothing
• consoling
• quieting
• contenting
• solacing
• succoring
• reprieving

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of excruciating

Adjective

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

The worrisome drug withdrawal popping up in jails A powerful tranquilizer has started to accompany fentanyl in the country’s illicit opioid supply, and jails are struggling to handle the drug’s excruciating, complicated withdrawal symptoms. — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 26 June 2026

Watching that Rosetta Stone-cold stupid footage here, you’re struck not only by his audacity, but by the scene’s excruciating comic pacing. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026

The new Failure album that came out of that excruciating time, Location Lost, is the eccentric, gorgeous sound of the band working through that crisis. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 16 June 2026