excruciating

1 of 2

adjective

ex·​cru·​ci·​at·​ing ik-ˈskrü-shē-ˌā-tiŋ How to pronounce excruciating (audio)
Synonyms of excruciating
1
: causing great pain or anguish : agonizing
… the nation's most excruciating dilemma …—W. H. Ferry
2
: very intense : extreme
excruciating pain
excruciatingly
ik-ˈskrü-shē-ˌā-tiŋ-lē How to pronounce excruciating (audio)
adverb

excruciating

2 of 2

present participle of excruciate

Synonyms of excruciating

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Adjective

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Examples of excruciating in a Sentence

Adjective I have an excruciating headache. an excruciating moment of embarrassment They described their vacation in excruciating detail.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
Tell me another team this talented that has found this many ways to lose baseball games in the most excruciating way imaginable. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Because of the excruciating pain, McCoy wouldn’t let Corle check his bleeding arms, both of which had multiple compound fractures. — Jan Thacker, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2026 Minutes later the finalists will fight to stay on the back of 2,000-pound animals with names like Man Hater and Buck Nasty for eight excruciating seconds, and then dodge the bull's hooves and horns when they're tossed to the ground. — Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026 The key to the film is Sinatra’s sense of excruciating resignation. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for excruciating

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of excruciating was in 1599

Rhymes for excruciating

See All Rhymes for excruciating

Browse Nearby Words

excruciate
excruciating
excruciation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Excruciating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excruciating. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

excruciating

adjective
ex·​cru·​ci·​at·​ing
ik-ˈskrü-shē-ˌāt-iŋ
1
: causing great mental or physical pain : agonizing
excruciating torture
an excruciating decision to leave
2
: very severe
excruciating pain
excruciatingly
-iŋ-lē
adverb
Etymology

Adjective

derived from Latin excruciatus, past participle of excruciare "to torture," from ex- "out of, from" and cruciare "to torment, crucify," from cruc-, crux "cross" — related to cross, crucial, crucify

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