# excruciating

/ɪksˈkɹuʃiˌeɪtɪŋ/ (US) · /ɛkskɹˈuːʃɪˌeɪtɪŋ/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/excruciating
Updated: 2026-05-09

## Definition

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

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

## Examples

- The pain in my broken leg was excruciating.
- We had to sit through an excruciating three-hour presentation that could have been a short email.
- The athlete described the final mile of the marathon as excruciating, as every muscle in her body screamed for her to stop.

## Pitfalls

- Not "It was an excruciatingly pain" but "It was an excruciating pain" — Learners sometimes confuse the adjective 'excruciating' with the adverb 'excruciatingly' when modifying a noun.

## Usage notes

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

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.