grueling

American  

[groo-uh-ling, groo-ling] / ˈgru ə lɪŋ, ˈgru lɪŋ /

especially British, gruelling

adjective

1. exhausting; very tiring; arduously severe.

   the grueling Boston marathon.

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noun

1. any trying or exhausting procedure or experience.

Other Word Forms

• gruelingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of grueling

First recorded in 1850–55; slang gruel “punishment” (noun), “to punish” (verb) + -ing ¹, -ing ²

Explanation

If a job is grueling, that means it is really difficult. If a race is grueling, that means it is really difficult. If a trip to the dentist is grueling, that means you need to toughen up. Once upon a time in a land far far away (like eighteenth century England) there was an expression, to “get one’s gruel,” which meant “receive one’s punishment.” This saying morphed into the word grueling, which can be applied to any punishing activity. Presumably, to “get one’s gruel” involved horrible punishments, but now the more pampered among us might even find a long tennis match grueling.

Example Sentences

In grueling endurance sports like cycling, and now running, athletes are gobbling down unprecedented amounts of sugary carbohydrates, both in training and competition, via fast-acting gels and bottles loaded with glucose and fructose.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Enacting change at the federal level has been a grueling process.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Yet the report also gave a strong hint about why people are searching for stability: The job hunt today can be grueling.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

They keep a disciplined, grueling schedule, turning out polished, deftly produced episodes 52 weeks a year.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

It meant slow, grueling work in a frozen mine.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

• arduous
• backbreaking
• brutal
• demanding
• excruciating
• exhausting
• fierce
• laborious
• punishing
• strenuous
• tiring
• torturous
• trying