grueling
Americanadjective
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing grueling
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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.
China’s factory-gate inflation ended its grueling near four-year stretch of falling prices in March and soared to a 45-month high in April, according to official data released on Monday.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
One morning in April, a bleary-eyed Michelle plopped into bed fully clothed after completing her grueling 11 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. shift.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
Enacting change at the federal level has been a grueling process.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
LaRavia credited good luck, an iron will and a dedicated weight training regimen for helping him survive the grueling season.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
As grueling as the fall of 1933 was for Joe, it wasn’t quite all work and loneliness.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
