variants
or gruelling
1
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
running a marathon is grueling
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of grueling
But as is the case with art, the beauty of the Huskies’ finish made everyone forget how grueling the creation actually was.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Women who have worked for years in grueling, low-paying jobs now have solid careers and a bright future.
—Mike Keogh, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The catcher played in the first two games of the series, and an off day on Sunday would have given him two straight days of rest early in a grueling season.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
That's relatively common in figure skating for gold medal winners who face a rush of media and commercial opportunities after a grueling four-year Olympic buildup.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Women who have worked for years in grueling, low-paying jobs now have solid careers and a bright future.
—Mike Keogh, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The catcher played in the first two games of the series, and an off day on Sunday would have given him two straight days of rest early in a grueling season.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
That's relatively common in figure skating for gold medal winners who face a rush of media and commercial opportunities after a grueling four-year Olympic buildup.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grueling
Adjective
-
Putting in the new chip was more difficult.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The rest will be more difficult.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Cubs are trying to survive this challenging stretch as they have been decimated by pitching injuries.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
In kitchens around the country, chefs are translating this novelty into dishes that aren’t too challenging to get behind.—
Jaia Clingham-David,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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There were others like it against Ohtani as well, showing the Mets are still fouling off tough pitches and trying to keep at-bats alive, and some standout defensive plays made as well.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
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The toughest day belonged to someone who didn't even play.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
About 20 international teams with gather at the Swiss Army’s training area, where their robots will be pushed through extreme terrain and realistic military scenarios at one of Europe’s most demanding field trials for unmanned systems.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Apr. 2026
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This is a high-stress, physically demanding profession, and our members are already overworked and underpaid.—
Tara Lynch,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Binance has said that the firings of the investigators were unrelated to their findings on Iranian flows, and that the crypto exchange maintains a rigorous compliance program.—
Ben Weiss,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
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Every personal finance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of personal finance products.—
Jasmin Suknanan,
CNBC,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Working with Dstl and the Army’s 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search), the objective is to explore new technologies to find ways to speed up and make safe the arduous task of dealing with high explosives.—
David Szondy
April 11,
New Atlas,
11 Apr. 2026
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Hours of arduous game prep was finished.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
His performance was badly needed on a night where runs were hard to come by for both sides, and after the game went to extra innings still scoreless the Red Sox finally broke through with a walk-off single by Masataka Yoshida in the bottom of the 10th to win 1-0.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
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But some days are harder than others.—
Kelsy Mittauer,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Housed in a building with a dimpled façade that many say looks like a cheese grater, the Broad houses the collection of Edythe Broad, who accumulated a formidable cache of contemporary art with her late husband Eli.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Apr. 2026
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Homages to Chile’s formidable troika are among the record 10 the festival has planned for this edition, said festival director Estrella Araiza.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grueling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grueling. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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