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
In what likely will be a preview of what’s to come for the Dodgers (32-20) over a grueling portion of their schedule in the next month, the team’s fate Saturday was almost entirely reliant upon the performance of their starter.
—
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2025
Sunday’s race marks the longest — and arguably most grueling — race on the schedule.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 24 May 2025
Speaking candidly, the Hollywood star, Hip-Hop icon, and beauty ambassador recalled the emotional weight of that mirror scene: sitting fully nude, looking at her reflection after a grueling day in the life of the legendary jazz singer.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 23 May 2025
The drivers will travel 600 miles, completing 400 laps in what could be considered one of the most grueling races of the year.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2025
Sunday’s race marks the longest — and arguably most grueling — race on the schedule.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 24 May 2025
Speaking candidly, the Hollywood star, Hip-Hop icon, and beauty ambassador recalled the emotional weight of that mirror scene: sitting fully nude, looking at her reflection after a grueling day in the life of the legendary jazz singer.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 23 May 2025
The drivers will travel 600 miles, completing 400 laps in what could be considered one of the most grueling races of the year.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grueling
Adjective
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But the fact that Schwartzman, in his first film, was given the difficult task of stealing laughs away from a comedy legend, and so often succeeds in doing so, gives him the slight edge.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
30 May 2025
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And hegemony is difficult to maintain in the long run.—
Andrew Latham,
The Conversation,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Building wealth can be a challenging task, especially in challenging economic times.—
Anne-Lyse Ngatta,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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The rise of one of this season’s greatest scene-stealers makes for a challenging conundrum — how far does the apple fall from the tree?—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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The nausea is now mostly in the past, Lauren says, and the Lanes are realizing that getting ready for a third child isn’t as demanding as earlier preparations.—
Nancy Kruh,
People.com,
30 May 2025
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Work and home will be equally demanding, as Venus meets with Jupiter on June 4.—
Liz Simmons,
StyleCaster,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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Transsexuals are people who have gone through a long, arduous process of: counseling, hormone therapy, and operations.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
28 May 2025
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So no one has ever made a fully reusable orbital vehicle, and even the parts that have been reusable have been extremely arduous to reuse, such that the economics actually were worse than an expendable rocket in a lot of cases.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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This is a time for doing the tough, often unglamorous job of making the city function for all New Yorkers.—
Scott Stringer,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2025
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When staring at twin suns like from much greater distances — many light-years away — astronomers have a much tougher time than young Skywalker in determining two stars from one.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Hall, a former college football player, is quite the athlete and also gives fans a look into his rigorous workout regimen, which Khaled joined him for.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
23 May 2025
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The Bee has a rigorous policy relating to requests for anonymity.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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The backrest reclines to five different angles, and, set all the way back, the chaise can accommodate the full body of someone who’s up to six feet, four inches tall.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
26 May 2025
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Keep a distance from tall, isolated trees or other elevated objects.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 May 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 6 Jun. 2025.
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