excruciating 1 of 2

adjective

ik-ˈskrü-shē-ˌā-tiŋ How to pronounce excruciating (audio)
Definition of excruciatingnext
1
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful he finally visited the doctor when the pain became too excruciating to ignore

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2
as in searing
difficult to endure the excruciating heat that the settlers faced as they crossed the deserts of the Southwest

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3
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally most excruciating of all was the endless wait for news of any survivors of the plane crash

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4
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect the excruciating grief they felt upon the loss of their dear grandfather

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excruciating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of excruciate
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to she has long been excruciated by an undiagnosed pain in her knee

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of excruciating
Adjective
The timeline in the report of one woman enduring Maduko’s behavior is excruciating to read. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026 Part sometimes excruciating dark comedy, part sci-fi mindwarp and part suspense thriller whose grip bids fair to surprise at San Sebastián. — Callum McLennan, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026 Johnson and Martin saw their breakup go public a little over a year ago, which had to be excruciating for someone as private as Johnson. — Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026 The experience of watching the film was ambiently excruciating, like twiddling your thumbs at a bus stop on a humid day. — Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for excruciating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excruciating
  1. wrenching
  2. searing
  3. painful
  4. intense
  5. plaguing
  6. torturous
  7. tough
  8. harsh
Adjective
  • Richard Ables guided families through one of life’s most wrenching rituals at the historic Hall Brothers Funeral Home.
    — Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2026
  • After a quiet episode focused on Hal Jordan’s passing, Lanterns’s penultimate chapter deepens the mystery in surprising and wrenching ways.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of wrenching
Adjective
  • After winning the prestigious Golden Eye, Plambech returns with another searing analysis of the immigrant experience.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The durable porcelain enamel exterior resists chipping and cracking, while the matte black interior enhances browning and searing.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of searing
Adjective
  • His path crosses with Naoko, a Japanese tourist carrying the weight of a painful past, and Ruby, a young child searching for his parents.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Rising financial strains on American workers are forcing them to make painful trade-offs, such as skipping medical care, to make ends meet, new research shows.
    — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of painful
Adjective
  • Pike committed the crime over an intense romantic jealousy of Slemmer, who allegedly attempted to steal her boyfriend’s attention.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Carnegie Hall seats well over 3,000 people, but this intense, no-frills performance film gives life to the old saying about feeling alone in a crowd.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of intense
Verb
  • Footage of the protest has since gone viral across social media, igniting widespread awareness for one of the trans athlete incidents currently plaguing Washington state.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • That's when many of issues plaguing the stock started to turn around.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of plaguing
Adjective
  • The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Alberto Sierra’s estranged wife and her two young daughters detailed on Friday their torturous final moments, testifying during Sierra’s death penalty trial.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • In a wartorn country where air travel is too perilous to even consider, the roads are the obvious option, but are jammed, precarious, and cursed with long, torturous border queues.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of torturous
Adjective
  • Celebrity hairstylist Brian Magallones considers this the perfect balance between a not-too-fussy and not-too-structured chignon, a style that sounds tough to style without a professional team but is actually quite easy to master at-home.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Coming off that dominant performance against the Yankees, Rasmussen went six-plus tough innings.
    — Rob Maaddi, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • And now those still left in the battered city along Ukraine's southeastern front face death from hunger or disease as another harsh winter looms, with no agreement in sight for even a humanitarian evacuation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Despite low winds and little rain, harsh surf continues to wreak havoc along Southern California's coastal communities.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of harsh

Browse Nearby Words

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excruciating
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Cite this Entry

“Excruciating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excruciating. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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