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
Huang is famous in Silicon Valley for keeping a grueling schedule of fourteen-hour days, seven days a week.
—
Carmine Gallo, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
DeShields dealt with severe tremors throughout her body and experienced frequent pain and numbness in her feet due to the nerve damage in her back during a grueling rehab process.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 18 Mar. 2025
Rios said she felt betrayed by Kim, having voted for the representative in a grueling election that saw the Orange County conservative win her third consecutive term in November.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2025
The 7-second clip shows the tiny puppy sprawled out with its belly up, lying limply across its owner's chest and neck, as if drained from a grueling day of activity.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Carmine Gallo, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
DeShields dealt with severe tremors throughout her body and experienced frequent pain and numbness in her feet due to the nerve damage in her back during a grueling rehab process.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 18 Mar. 2025
Rios said she felt betrayed by Kim, having voted for the representative in a grueling election that saw the Orange County conservative win her third consecutive term in November.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2025
The 7-second clip shows the tiny puppy sprawled out with its belly up, lying limply across its owner's chest and neck, as if drained from a grueling day of activity.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grueling
Adjective
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As college sports continues its rapid professionalization, the ACC is in a difficult spot.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
19 Mar. 2025
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Most of the files are scans of documents, and some are blurred or have become faint or difficult to read in the decades since Kennedy's assassination.—
Joel Shannon,
USA TODAY,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Join 27 others in the comments View Comments The more surgeries that are performed over a lifetime, the higher potential there is for traumatized tissue, Dr. Truesdale added, noting that revision operations are inherently more challenging.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN,
22 Mar. 2025
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Mount Lemmon, a favorite among road cyclists, presents one of the country’s most scenic—and challenging—rides.—
Visit Tucson,
AFAR Media,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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By reducing latency and enabling real-time decision-making, these systems ensure that city services remain nimble under the most demanding conditions.—
Cathy Hackl,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Everest's unpredictable weather and difficult breathing conditions make this one of the most physically and mentally demanding climbs in the world.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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If you're still bothered by the arduous manual lawn mowing work, the Redkey MGC500/MGC1000 Intelligent Lawn Mower Robot is your best choice!—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Mar. 2025
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The path to reclaiming a division title is arduous, but not impossible.—
Matt Gelb,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The opening weekend miss for what was a very buzzy Sundance title back in 2023 about a troubled but ambitious bodybuilder follows controversy around its star and comes at a tough time for indie films in general.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
23 Mar. 2025
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As long as Flagg is on the floor, the Blue Devils will be a tough out.—
Tobias Bass,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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These competitions are known for their rigorous judging processes and high standards, making their results highly respected in the wine industry.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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Cigarette smoking, immune system disorders, rigorous exercise, cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, and surgical removal of the ovaries can all cause vaginal dryness.—
Sandra Rose Salathe,
Flow Space,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Avoid tall, isolated trees or other elevated objects.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Mar. 2025
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Plus the plants are more compact, growing 3-4 feet tall.—
Viveka Neveln,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 2025.
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