variants
or gruelling
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
Asking ordinary Americans to perform grueling feats of strength is unlikely to make a dent in the obesity rate, no matter how tough the talk.
—
Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2025
Employees, many of whom were classified as part-time or independent contractors, earned paltry wages despite working gruelling weeks.
—Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
Today’s field faces a race even more grueling than in Gordon’s day.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2025
While he's been through grueling injuries before in his career, Haliburton admitted this one is by far the most challenging.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2025
Employees, many of whom were classified as part-time or independent contractors, earned paltry wages despite working gruelling weeks.
—Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
Today’s field faces a race even more grueling than in Gordon’s day.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2025
While he's been through grueling injuries before in his career, Haliburton admitted this one is by far the most challenging.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grueling
Adjective
-
Ncell, Nepal’s second-largest telecommunications service provider, noted that shutting down all platforms at once was, in any case, technically difficult and warned that the move would severely impact business.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Last summer, after years of hip problems and some difficult surgeries to address them, Jill had an operation that went poorly.—
Bianca Bosker,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
To be sure, the last few years have been more challenging, with Gucci rapidly losing momentum — and Kering’s debt load swelling after an acquisition spree that included Creed, Maui Jim, a 30 percent stake in Valentino, and large chunks of prime real estate.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Ultimately, gig engineering is becoming an attractive but challenging path.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Bassini has observed the circuit of influencers and hopefuls who try a more demanding don’t-you-know-who-I-am approach, only to see them get turned away unceremoniously each time.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
-
By contrast, six Black women have journeyed to outer space as astronauts, a job that is equally demanding and risky and for which the odds of being selected are very low.—
Gena Cox,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For decades, home cooks have been bound to outdated methods, including arduous timers, checking recipe charts, and leaving precision to guesswork.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
That probably was, again, the most rewarding and the most arduous one of the bunch.—
Shirley Halperin,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The backcourt duo of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, also known as the StudBudz, are shifty, tough shot-making guards who can get hot in a hurry.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
-
And that’s tough on those guys.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For the next six years, Kira endured a rigorous drug treatment regime and was frequently in and out of hospitals.—
Ruchi Kumar,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2025
-
During a break in the rigorous shooting schedule for the limited series, which also stars Emma Corrin and Jack Lowden, Partridge was able to squeeze in the trip with old college friends.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
At around the same time, a tall, college-aged man carrying a black backpack made his way up the stairwell of the nearby Losee Center, a four-story concrete building that houses the student welcome center, among other things.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Keep a distance from tall, solitary trees or other elevated structures.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Consider how closed captioning, originally developed for deaf and hard-of-hearing users, now benefits millions in noisy environments or when audio isn't available.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Just hard to think that’ll happen coming off the Jacksonville blowout.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grueling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grueling. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share