1
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
he finally visited the doctor when the pain became too excruciating to ignore
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2
as in searing
difficult to endure
the excruciating heat that the settlers faced as they crossed the deserts of the Southwest
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3
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
most excruciating of all was the endless wait for news of any survivors of the plane crash
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4
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the excruciating grief they felt upon the loss of their dear grandfather
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as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to
she has long been excruciated by an undiagnosed pain in her knee
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of excruciating
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
More playing like adults at the most difficult moments, following excruciating losses or facing the possibility of one more loss ending the season.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Kevin Hart subjected himself to one of comedy’s most hallowed and excruciating traditions last night, the roast.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2026
Friday night’s Game 3 was excruciating enough.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for excruciating
Adjective
His past films have covered the Hungarian Uprising, the fraught lead-up to WWI and, in 2015’s excruciating Son of Saul, life and death in a Nazi concentration camp.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
More playing like adults at the most difficult moments, following excruciating losses or facing the possibility of one more loss ending the season.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Kevin Hart subjected himself to one of comedy’s most hallowed and excruciating traditions last night, the roast.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2026
Friday night’s Game 3 was excruciating enough.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for excruciating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excruciating
Adjective
-
His most wrenching scene, when Stagg receives a devastating personal call but cannot react amid the intense geopolitical stakes, captured this tension.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
26 May 2026
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Another wrenching question, of course, is whether at least the younger Perez siblings would want or need to go with Olga to Guatemala if she were deported.—
Tim Padgett,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For her, the aftermath of that victory brought heightened anxiety, and searing criticism from outsiders when the Swedish pro’s play took a dip.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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Though Boys sometimes sees Watt take searing leads reminiscent of McCartney’s ’60s and ’70s guitar foils, like George Harrison, just as often, McCartney is playing almost everything himself.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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The result was a painful correction.—
Robert Ginsburg,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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The most painful part of the quarter-long dry spell was that Oklahoma City seemed to have all the answers during San Antonio’s explosive first half.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Russia had vowed more intense attacks and warned foreign diplomats to abandon Kyiv.—
Elmira Aliieva,
NBC news,
3 June 2026
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That funding faced intense scrutiny from a handful of Republicans, prompting senators to abandon it.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Verb
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She is backed by the local Democratic Socialists of America, and her challengers claim the district has suffered under under her leadership, pointing to MacArthur Park as emblematic of the homelessness and drug addiction crisis plaguing the city.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
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The title of his third album, REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, suggests an MCU movie in which our hero attempts to take on every problem plaguing the planet—and this time, Owusu isn’t giving his adversaries code names.—
Stuart Berman,
Pitchfork,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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What Mary endures throughout Stappard’s debut is unquestionably torturous, but the writer/director never seems to take pleasure in orchestrating her or any other Māori characters’ suffering.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
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Many of the children didn’t survive the torturous experimentation, while others developed superpowers.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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More recent air quality news Major automakers are urging the EPA to delay tougher vehicle pollution standards for two years.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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In a tough economy for local breweries, Clairvoyant has found a way to keep its heart beating.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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The flap has also brought harsh criticism from prominent people in Miami, including former Democratic congressman Joe Garcia.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
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Without excessive optimism, in a world that is becoming harsher, the Festival, on the contrary, is opening up and improving.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excruciating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excruciating. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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