1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

grueling

adjective

ˈgrü-ə-liŋ How to pronounce grueling (audio)
variants or gruelling
Definition of gruelingnext
1
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort running a marathon is grueling

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in challenging
requiring much time, effort, or careful attention cutting diamonds can be grueling work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 grueling But this one is the culmination of a grueling, nine-month rehab — which therefore occupied the bulk of Thursday’s questions. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026 There, homes are a bit cheaper, but Angel’s work commute would become significantly longer, extending an already grueling 60-hour week. — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026 The stylistic approach works well enough during the many and extremely bloody action sequences, but eventually proves so relentless and lacking in modulation that the film becomes a grueling and sometimes tedious experience. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026 Testing a dissenting hypothesis often required weeks of alignment meetings, internal authorizations and grueling pilot programs. — Fabio Moioli, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grueling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grueling
  1. difficult
  2. challenging
  3. tough
  4. demanding
  5. rigorous
  6. arduous
  7. hard
  8. formidable
Adjective
  • The outbreak is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike and intense population movements.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • And widespread adoption by farmers is challenging because perennial crops don’t yield as much, harvesting can be difficult and the market still is developing.
    — Joshua A. Bickel, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • A student who is laughing while solving a challenging problem is still learning.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Was working in the feature-length format freeing or more challenging?
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of challenging
Adjective
  • North of the Thai capital Bangkok, rice farmers like 55-year-old Boonmark Marksuuk are already facing tough choices.
    — EDNA TARIGAN, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Zahnd, first elected in 2002, had a career defined by high-profile cases and solidified Platte County’s tough-on-crime reputation.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • Your character, Alex, is a literary agent, working in a demanding artistic field.
    — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • As industries increasingly operate equipment in extreme thermal and demanding environments, optical components must withstand conditions that can quickly degrade conventional materials.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of demanding
Adjective
  • Sally Hayden’s reportage is always deeply humane, rigorous and challenging, and this new book promises to be an education.
    — Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
  • And that artistry complements Cécred’s rigorous product standards.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of rigorous
Adjective
  • The arduous journey has been completed officially 3,265 times — 2,128 of those being solo swims and 1,137 relay swims.
    — Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Fried has had two arduous IL stints dealing with a bone bruise on his left elbow.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of arduous
Adjective
  • Their furrows reminded me of Rembrandt’s paintings of old men, brows carved deep by hard use and long years.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Since then, his settings have become harder to locate in the contemporary world.
    — Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of hard
Adjective
  • The decision to construct the film around precisely five-minute takes presents a formidable formal and technical challenge.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The Gateway defense was formidable, forcing seven negative plays in the first half, including four sacks, and limited the Eagles to 12 second-half snaps and one first down.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of formidable

Browse Nearby Words

grudgingly
grueling
gruesome
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grueling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grueling. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tactile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All