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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grueling
Mina, worried about her young kids doing the math about her long, grueling commute, cautiously accepts Alma’s gracious offer.
—
Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
The grind of an 82-game schedule can be grueling and developing a bunker-like mentality is key at times.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2025
The Making of ‘The Americas,‘ which was initially slated strictly for streaming, will now premiere on NBC on April 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, pulling back the curtain on the epic and often grueling journey of filming over five years across 180 expeditions in some of the most extreme locations on Earth.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
The grind of an 82-game schedule can be grueling and developing a bunker-like mentality is key at times.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2025
The Making of ‘The Americas,‘ which was initially slated strictly for streaming, will now premiere on NBC on April 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, pulling back the curtain on the epic and often grueling journey of filming over five years across 180 expeditions in some of the most extreme locations on Earth.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for grueling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grueling
Adjective
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Third, operational command of Kamikaze planes is difficult because results cannot be evaluated with any accuracy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2025
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Instead, the major drama comes in the form of Ivy’s corruption by her acting coach, as Ivy gradually goes method and becomes as difficult to work with as Marilyn was (one of this musical’s many meta moments).—
Christian Lewis,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The game is essentially 3-on-3 wheelchair basketball, offering a challenging experience that, while not entirely reflective of actual wheelchair basketball, provides a unique gameplay twist.—
Eammonn Dignam,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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But as the birds got more comfortable with the task at hand, the team made the experiment increasingly challenging.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In the last two decades, the number of hospitals and diagnostic centers has already increased sixfold, and there’s room for many more, particularly those that value quality, which patients are increasingly demanding and becoming aware of.—
Sylvana Quader Sinha,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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In making such a claim, Bonhoeffer moved the aim of conscience away from obedience to rational principles and to the more demanding and concrete love for God and one’s living, breathing, suffering neighbor.—
David DeCosse,
Mercury News,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In a statement provided by her attorney to THR, Smith denied the claims of abuse, arduous working hours and dearth of appropriate compensation and said that Rockelle had appeared in several accusers’ videos without payment or common labor protections.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2025
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After four arduous episodes of beating Wihan’s dead horse, conflict is finally escalating again.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Over the next two years, Muhammad rang up five more victories against progressively tougher competition.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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On the other side, the Grizzlies had an even tougher time with Curry, who finished with 52 points on 16-of-31 shooting.—
Anthony Slater,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Every personal finance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of personal finance products.—
Keagan Ostop,
CNBC,
18 Apr. 2025
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Although seeking refugee protection might come to mind, qualifying for refugee protection involves a complex, rigorous process that involves meeting a multi-pronged legal test.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The suspect was described as a man about 6 feet tall who had his face covered.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2025
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Tucker is 6 feet tall, the average height of newborn calves after birth.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 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 23 Apr. 2025.
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