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
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Recent Examples of grueling
The road to San Francisco for Super Bowl LX begins in the grueling summer heat.
—
Rob Maaddi, Twin Cities, 21 July 2025
Competitors will have to climb a grueling 4,550 meters (about 14,930 feet) over the course of 130 km (almost 80.8 miles), the stage runs through the heart of the French Alps from Albertville all the way up to La Plagne.
—Rory Fleming, CNN Money, 19 July 2025
All four of them needed the bread, but the grueling schedule left Cook and Matlock miserable after just a few months.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 12 July 2025
Anisimova, 23, won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a grueling three-set match.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Rob Maaddi, Twin Cities, 21 July 2025
Competitors will have to climb a grueling 4,550 meters (about 14,930 feet) over the course of 130 km (almost 80.8 miles), the stage runs through the heart of the French Alps from Albertville all the way up to La Plagne.
—Rory Fleming, CNN Money, 19 July 2025
All four of them needed the bread, but the grueling schedule left Cook and Matlock miserable after just a few months.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 12 July 2025
Anisimova, 23, won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a grueling three-set match.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grueling
Adjective
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Speaking with director Joe Johnston, Oka explained the two most difficult things to simulate digitally at the time were human skin and water.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
15 July 2025
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They are often considered the most beautiful irises but can be difficult to grow.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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Points available at the stage’s finish vary based on a coefficient of difficulty: the more challenging the stage, the fewer points available.—
Sophie Kaufman,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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Besides the challenging business climate in Chicago, President Donald Trump’s tariffs are contributing to rising food costs, and his immigration crackdown threatens to disrupt the food-service workforce.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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In the more demanding Steel Nomad benchmark, the Dell 16 Plus trailed both the Acer Swift 16 AI and LG Gram Pro.—
Brian Westover,
PC Magazine,
17 July 2025
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All while playing the most physically demanding position on the field, which Raleigh does at an above-average level.—
Tyler Small,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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The mission proved to be much more arduous than expected for her and her small crew of four, all of whom are first tour aviators.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
11 July 2025
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It is considered the most arduous of rehab processes.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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The tougher policy changes are adding to the minors’ trauma, advocates say.—
Nicol León,
AZCentral.com,
22 July 2025
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The trio had no phone signal to call for help, due to being so far down in the cave, and so Kate made the tough decision to leave the boys to find help.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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Ozzy Osbourne shared 3 children with first wife Thelma Riley The father of six children over two marriages, Osbourne has been vocal about how rigorous touring and alcohol use affected his family life.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
23 July 2025
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The 22-year-old flew to the United States and went through the DCC’s rigorous tryouts, eventually becoming one of six new rookies to join the 36-member squad, out of thousands who auditioned.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Standing at 6 feet tall, Moore isn’t exactly short.—
Shaun Goodwin
July 25,
Idaho Statesman,
25 July 2025
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Standing at over 7 feet tall, Kiel, who played Jaws in the Bond films, is hard to forget.—
Lauren Huff Published,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.—
Alia Wong,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2023
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Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Grueling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grueling. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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