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
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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List 7
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Touching Spirit Bear
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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.
Things that, in all his years of grueling romantic data analysis in pursuit of the perfect relationship, he still couldn’t see coming.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
So in order to be ready, Pochettino ramped up his already brutal training regimens with intense fitness work, grueling double sessions, and a notorious running test that hardly anyone ever completed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
"Providing patients with better education and support to help them navigate the complex and sometimes grueling process would be a good start."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 1, 2026
Everywhere he’d worked, Pochettino had built a reputation for grueling training sessions and settling for nothing less than maximum intensity from his players—even if it drove them absolutely crazy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
The labor had been long, grueling, and when the baby finally came the mother had torn, and badly.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
