gruelling
adjective/ˈɡruːəlɪŋ/
/ˈɡruːəlɪŋ/
(especially British English) (North American English usually grueling)
- very difficult and making you very tired, needing great effort for a long time synonym punishing
- a gruelling journey/schedule
- I've had a gruelling day.
Extra ExamplesTopics Working lifec2- It had been a gruelling season, but the final result made it worthwhile.
- a gruelling work schedule
- a sporting event that represents a gruelling test of endurance
- the gruelling journey on foot from London to Rome
Oxford Collocations DictionaryGruelling/grueling is used with these nouns:- journey
- process
- race
- …
Word Originmid 19th cent.: from the verb gruel ‘exhaust, punish’, from an old phrase get one's gruel ‘receive one's punishment’.
Check pronunciation:
gruelling