excruciate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to inflict severe pain upon; torture.
The headache excruciated him.
-
to cause mental anguish to; irritate greatly.
verb
-
to inflict mental suffering on; torment
-
obsolete to inflict physical pain on; torture
Other Word Forms
- excruciation noun
Etymology
Origin of excruciate
1560–70; < Latin excruciātus, past participle of excruciāre to torment, torture, equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + cruciāre to torment, crucify (derivative of crux cross); -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was also recorded in "excruciating detail" on about 20 prison calls discussing his international travel plans for the next few months, despite having been on house arrest since 2024.
From BBC
She was put on the pill at 14, and although that helped with excessive bleeding, by aged 20 she was in excruciating pain each month.
From BBC
However, after the surgery she was in "excruciating pain".
From BBC
And I’m sorry that your ex’s choice to be avoidant is only making what I imagine to be a painful process that much more excruciating and drawn out.
From MarketWatch
But my real and digital lives are now filled with women explaining, in excruciating detail, what I should do to strengthen my skeleton.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
