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.
The Dodgers not only have played more games than any other team the last two years, but their schedule has included grueling travel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
What would have been a grueling process for most was an escape for Dieffenbach, who was struggling through the most adverse time in his life: his mother’s bout with breast cancer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
He required employees to attend self-help seminars and show their athletic prowess by completing grueling hikes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Molchanova said the legal process was grueling, including sharing her private medical history, but she said she feels good knowing it may have spared other victims.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Always carrying his gun, he went on grueling horseback rides and punishing hikes through the woods and fields, keeping a lookout for wildlife specimens to add to his collection.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
