gruelling

British

/ ˈɡruːəlɪŋ /

adjective

severe or tiring

a gruelling interview

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

informal a severe experience, esp punishment

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of gruelling

C19: from now obsolete vb gruel to exhaust, punish

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.

For Rebecca, it is about staying positive and helping others that is helping her through the gruelling treatment.

From BBC

For most of us, that would be gruelling.

From BBC

Raducanu failed to serve out the opening set at the first time of asking, allowing Oliynykova to break back before winning the next two games - wrapping it up after a gruelling hour and 15 minutes.

From BBC

A team statement from September, made public in January, said that players faced gruelling long journeys on buses and economy-class flights, and were forced to stay in "inadequate" accommodation far from training grounds.

From Barron's

Following their gruelling semi-final victories on Friday, neither player trained on Saturday and left everyone wondering how they would pull up on Sunday.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023