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.
Many who hadn’t lost a house couldn’t imagine surviving a grueling six-year fight with an insurance company for money and the city for permits — let alone twice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 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
Making the playoffs in Major League Baseball is supposed to be a mark of excellence, a reward given only to the most deserving for enduring the grueling marathon of 162 games in roughly 180 days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
A real worry is that service members return from a grueling and unpredictable deployment and decide to seek other work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
His father had set a grueling pace, and it had taken its toll.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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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.
