bruising

adjective

bruis·​ing ˈbrü-ziŋ How to pronounce bruising (audio)
: arduous, taxing
a long and bruising courtroom battle

Examples of bruising in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In many cases, however, voters appeared jaded by an election cycle that devolved into one of the most bruising and divisive in recent memory. Jesse McKinley, New York Times, 6 Nov. 2020 The University of Maryland, College Park has been at the center of most of the bruising scandals, most notably the death of a 19-year-old football player Jordan McNair and ensuing reports of a troubled culture within the athletic department. Talia Richman, baltimoresun.com, 9 Nov. 2019 Even Mr Macron’s domestic standing has started to recover, having taken a bruising soon after coming into office. The Economist, 7 Nov. 2019 Adding to the challenges for Chief Justice Roberts, the Supreme Court’s latest term, which ended in June, was particularly bruising and divisive. Jess Bravin, WSJ, 7 Oct. 2018 Marcus ends her book by wondering whether the neutral ideal of the court can survive the bruising battle of Kavanaugh’s confirmation process. John Fabian Witt, The New Republic, 7 Apr. 2020 The new normal Friday marked an end to what has already been a bruising earnings season for the world’s largest oil companies. Katherine Dunn, Fortune, 1 May 2020 That did not stop them from using their second pick in the draft on the bruising and proficient A.J. Dillon, who ran for 4,382 yards and 38 touchdowns at Boston College. Bill Pennington, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2020 Morgan has bruising words for British leaders, as well. Brian Stelter, CNN, 19 Apr. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bruising.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bruising was in 1872

Dictionary Entries Near bruising

Cite this Entry

“Bruising.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bruising. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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