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
The most prominent example of this regulatory friction played out in South Africa with a gruelling, multi-year saga of Vodacom-Maziv deal.
—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 8 June 2026
Because family court dockets are heavily backlogged, critics say a guardian’s recommendation often becomes the final word, despite the grueling and complex nature of the disputes they are tasked with untangling.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 4 June 2026
The vote sets the stage for a grueling summer of campaigns and advertisements over whether voters should insert partisan politics into the judiciary.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
The storefront was small but required grueling work, often keeping him away from his wife, Lynda, and their four children.
—Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 8 June 2026
Because family court dockets are heavily backlogged, critics say a guardian’s recommendation often becomes the final word, despite the grueling and complex nature of the disputes they are tasked with untangling.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 4 June 2026
The vote sets the stage for a grueling summer of campaigns and advertisements over whether voters should insert partisan politics into the judiciary.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
The storefront was small but required grueling work, often keeping him away from his wife, Lynda, and their four children.
—Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grueling
Adjective
-
The verdict was delivered amid difficult personal circumstances for Mette-Marit, Hoiby’s mother, who needs a lung transplant for pulmonary fibrosis.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
-
Otherwise, those prospects start becoming large contracts that stand more difficult to move or aggregate.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Inmates challenging execution methods must suggest an alternative method.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
-
Lee, who relieved fans by hitting his old high notes on night one, sounded even stronger on night two, gleefully tearing into the most challenging corners of their catalog.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
With the when, where and who will play whom at the 2026 World Cup all locked in, how do the groups rank from the easiest to the toughest?—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
-
Opening a restaurant in downtown Boise is a tough racket.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Autonomy can absorb repetitive, lower-value, or cognitively demanding tasks so crews can focus on judgment, decision-making, and mission execution – the things humans still do best.—
Tim Burns,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
-
The fuchsia tone is, of course, the most attention-demanding, and black is always a safe bet—especially for more formal events.—
Alexandra Malmed,
InStyle,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Simplifi meets rigorous security certifications, such as SOC 2, which are part of a comprehensive external audit that assesses the security, confidentiality and privacy of a program’s data.—
Amy DeYoung,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
-
Every article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
McGregor’s recovery was lengthy and arduous.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
-
For the first time, Mangia acknowledged getting people to vote for an increase in sales taxes was going to take a long, arduous battle.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
All these years, the stigma stuck no matter how hard the family fought to change the narrative.—
Yumi Asada,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
In lieu of hard liquor, the winner of each round got a blast from a Champagne squirt gun into their mouth.—
Danielle Dorsey,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
After another solid season in 2021, injuries and sub-par play eventually led to an exit from the NFL, but Robinson has made a pretty formidable case for a return with his play in his UFL debut campaign.—
Juan Carlos Blanco,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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Studio had some formidable shoes to fill, replacing the eponymous and long-beloved French fine-dining institution that had defined special-occasion fine dining in Laguna Beach for more than twenty years.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grueling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grueling. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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