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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List 7
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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.
Job searches can be lengthy and grueling for people who are out of work and looking.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
Each week, I’d search online for videos showing Greybeard’s journey, a pep in his step or the grueling grind across the miles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Volunteers and rescuers persevered with the grueling task of digging through the rubble, looking for any signs of life after the critical 72-hour window passed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
And despite the grueling afternoon, there were no hard feelings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
At Jerome it was grueling work with old equipment.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
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.
