ENGLISH
REFERENCE

excruciating

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ɪksˈkɹuʃiˌeɪtɪŋ// UK //ɛkskɹˈuːʃɪˌeɪtɪŋ// ex·cru·ci·at·ing

adj. extremely painful or very embarrassing. You use this to describe a feeling that is almost too much to handle.

adj. causing intense physical or mental suffering; intensely painful or distressing. Often used to describe extreme boredom or social embarrassment.


SIMPLE

The pain in my broken leg was excruciating.

CONTEXTUAL

We had to sit through an excruciating three-hour presentation that could have been a short email.

COMPLEX

The athlete described the final mile of the marathon as excruciating, as every muscle in her body screamed for her to stop.

Synonyms
Origin

Present participle of excruciate, from Latin excruciō, from ex- + cruciō (“I torment”).

Usage

Often used to modify nouns like 'pain', 'detail', 'boredom', or 'embarrassment'.

Pitfall

It was an excruciatingly painIt was an excruciating painLearners sometimes confuse the adjective 'excruciating' with the adverb 'excruciatingly' when modifying a noun.

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