English Reference
Adjective

grueling

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈɡɹuɪɫɪŋ/ UK /ɡɹˈuːəlɪŋ/ gru·el·ing UK spelling gruelings, gruelling

adj.extremely tiring and difficult. You use this to describe a task or journey that takes a lot of effort and leaves you feeling exhausted.

adj.extremely demanding and exhausting. Often describes physical or mental tasks that require intense effort over a long period.


SIMPLE

The runners finished a grueling race in the heat.

CONTEXTUAL

After a grueling ten-hour shift at the hospital, the nurse was too tired to even cook dinner.

COMPLEX

The legal team endured a grueling month of discovery, reviewing thousands of documents daily to meet the court's strict deadline for the upcoming trial.

Usage

Commonly modifies nouns related to physical effort like 'schedule', 'workout', 'race', or 'journey'.

After trawling through emails, talking to Chloe’s friends and colleagues and holding the Treasury to account in a gruelling, multi-day coroner’s court hearing, they found out their daughter had been mistreated by her employer.

The Guardian· 22 Aug 2026

Hearts held firm at the end of a gruelling week to close out an unconvincing 2-1 home win over St Johnstone and climb to second in the table.

The Guardian· 29 Aug 2026
This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated