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.

Marquez capped a remarkable comeback from injury last year, winning his first championship since 2019 after a gruelling struggle that almost forced him to hang up his helmet.

From Barron's

The Spaniard capped a remarkable comeback from injury last year, winning his first championship since 2019 after a gruelling struggle that almost forced him to hang up his helmet.

From Barron's

The travelling support embarked on a gruelling 2,500-mile trip to be there - the longest any English fan base had ever travelled in the Champions League.

From BBC

China's youth are facing an unemployment rate that sits at more than 15% and burning out from a gruelling work culture, yet sharing too much of their pessimism online could alert internet censors.

From BBC

The high-powered Munich meeting of government leaders, diplomats, defence and intelligence chiefs comes shortly before Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine is set to enter its fifth gruelling year.

From Barron's

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