gruelling
UK /ˈɡɹʊə.lɪŋ/ · US /ˈɡɹu.lɪŋ/ adjective, noun
Also a form of gruel
Forms gruellings
- adjective (British spelling) Very difficult or taxing; exhausting; backbreaking.
- noun (horse racing) A race in which the animal being raced finishes in a state of physical exhaustion.
- noun A gruelling ordeal.
Synonyms
backbreaking exhausting taxing arduous grueling hard heavy laborious operose punishing toilsome
Etymology
From present participle of gruel (“to exhaust, punish”), from gruel (noun).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “gruelling”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details