Synonyms of grueling

grueling

adjective

ˈgrü-ə-liŋ 

variants or gruelling

1

as in difficult

requiring considerable physical or mental effort

running a marathon is grueling

Synonyms & Similar Words

• difficult
• challenging
• tough
• rigorous
• demanding
• hard
• formidable
• arduous
• complicated
• strenuous
• heavy
• rough
• rugged
• exhausting
• sweaty
• effortful
• backbreaking
• laborious
• severe
• painful
• testing
• uphill
• toilsome
• tall
• herculean
• exacting
• murderous
• intricate
• complex
• killer
• hellacious
• stiff
• serious
• stressful
• brutal
• problematic
• pick-and-shovel
• moiling
• annoying
• elusive
• grim
• oppressive
• tricky
• involved
• Augean
• onerous
• stubborn
• burdensome
• bruising
• abstract
• thorny
• troublesome
• labored
• abstruse
• tight
• hairy
• insoluble
• strict
• trying
• recondite
• irksome
• knotty
• opaque
• stringent
• ticklish
• vexatious
• spiny
• cruel
• bothersome
• taxing
• distressing
• grievous
• inhuman

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• simple
• light
• effortless
• soft
• mindless
• undemanding
• cheap
• facile
• manageable
• elementary
• uncomplicated
• clear
• doable
• achievable
• smooth
• gentle
• painless
• soothing
• comforting
• relaxed
• friendly
• accessible
• user-friendly
• idiotproof

2

as in challenging

requiring much time, effort, or careful attention

cutting diamonds can be grueling work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• challenging
• difficult
• demanding
• arduous
• tough
• laborious
• onerous
• burdensome
• hard
• exacting
• toilsome
• strenuous
• taxing
• killing
• formidable
• testing
• rigorous
• persnickety
• oppressive
• herculean
• rough
• rugged
• stringent
• stiff
• trying
• strict
• severe
• rigid
• stern

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• undemanding
• easy
• unchallenging
• simple
• smooth
• effortless
• nondemanding
• facile

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of grueling

What began as a routine offshore fishing trip quickly turned into a grueling, three-hour battle that ended with a crowd gathering at the docks in Falmouth, Massachusetts, to watch the giant billfish being weighed. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026

The roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard that ship have spent a grueling nine months at sea with little relief. — Katia Riddle, NPR, 21 Aug. 2026

Richards somehow had the fortitude to continue a grueling European tour in the middle of all this chaos and sorrow, but a stadium run through America at the end of the summer was simply too much to ask. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

Film promotion isn’t for the weak—a press tour requires long, grueling days (often in faraway cities), endless obligations, and, as a result, innumerable outfit changes. — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026