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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
In 2018, a grueling schedule and poor habits were piling up, leading to excruciating pain in his back.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
There’s a biological explanation for how excruciating awkward situations feel.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
The rest of us will have to wait until the film comes out on Christmas, an excruciating 77 days from now.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excruciating
Adjective
That is because Deadline is checking out the follow-up to John Morton’s BAFTA-winning BBC satirical comedies Twenty Twelve and W1A, shows that have landed cult status for their excruciating ode to Britishness and in-depth examination of the behind-the-scenes machinations of public institutions.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
In 2018, a grueling schedule and poor habits were piling up, leading to excruciating pain in his back.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
There’s a biological explanation for how excruciating awkward situations feel.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
The rest of us will have to wait until the film comes out on Christmas, an excruciating 77 days from now.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excruciating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excruciating
Adjective
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Written by Mahdi Asghari Azghadi and directed by Puya Mofid, this searing Iranian drama unfolds within the confines of an elementary school, where a teacher’s harsh discipline leaves a young Black student traumatized and voiceless.—
Essie Assibu,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
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High-temperature cooking methods such as grilling, broiling, roasting, frying and searing can increase AGE content in food up to 100-fold compared to uncooked versions, according to a 2004 Mount Sinai study that measured AGE content under laboratory conditions.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Past disasters have left a painful mark for many, but they’re connected by strong community ties and have come together at vigils to honor and pray for the victims.—
Alisha Ebrahimji,
CNN Money,
13 Oct. 2025
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But the film is most moving in its quieter moments, when the longest and most painful goodbye mellows into something like acceptance, tinged with gratitude for the moments that remain to be lived.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Thus, current fears reinforce a pre-existing localism, and infuse it with new and intense emotions.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
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After at least half a decade of acute concern about the way that platforms such as Instagram may affect young people, as well as intense debate about how best to keep kids safe online, Meta has arrived at a label that was invented in the 1980s because parents were upset by movies such as Gremlins.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Jordan Shamir, co-founder and CEO of Yofi AI, said fraud and theft continue to be major issues plaguing brands and retailers of all sizes.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Oct. 2025
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Politicians on both sides of the aisle widely condemned the attack, one of several high-profile acts of political violence plaguing the United States in recent years.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Hiking through the deep snow drifts above 26,000 feet is torturous and time consuming.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
8 Oct. 2025
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Bertino’s chamber piece unfolds over one torturous night and will be exclusive to Paramount’s streaming platform following its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in September.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Falcons' offense has emerged as one of the toughest in the league, causing multiple turnovers a game.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
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How self-reflection operates matters because it will always be needed to make wiser choices about our toughest challenges.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Why do some chocolate bars exhibit complex flavor notes like floral, caramel, and gentle woody, while others taste harsh, bitter, and astringent?—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
18 Oct. 2025
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Where rallies are taking place Nearly daily protests in metro Detroit this year have been observed as being peaceful, though sometimes Trump supporters and protesters exchange harsh words.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Higgins pointed out that land-intensive projects, like the Miami Freedom Park soccer stadium project, could have included housing on the premises.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
18 Oct. 2025
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Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following intensive peace negotiations in Doha, Qatar, according to Reuters reporting on an announcement made by Qatar's foreign ministry early Sunday.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excruciating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excruciating. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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