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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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
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Recent Examples of excruciating
Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Among the caterpillars Walker has studied are puss, or asp, caterpillars, whose stings can be excruciating.
—Ivan Amato, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2025
Like the compulsive twisting of a pencil into a sharpener, Khatami tightens the narrative rope to excruciating effect with a series of ominous foreshadowings.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025
Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews received the lion's share of the blame after the Baltimore Ravens' playoff run came to an abrupt and excruciating end.
—Chantz Martin, Fox News, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excruciating
Adjective
The other story line tracks the family’s life in Europe before World War II, continues through the horrors his parents endured, the liberation of the death camps, an interlude in Sweden (where Artie was born) and a new, at times excruciating life in America.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Among the caterpillars Walker has studied are puss, or asp, caterpillars, whose stings can be excruciating.
—Ivan Amato, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2025
Like the compulsive twisting of a pencil into a sharpener, Khatami tightens the narrative rope to excruciating effect with a series of ominous foreshadowings.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025
Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews received the lion's share of the blame after the Baltimore Ravens' playoff run came to an abrupt and excruciating end.
—Chantz Martin, Fox News, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excruciating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excruciating
Adjective
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Last year, Love penned a searing op-ed in The Guardian about the lack of female artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
5 Mar. 2025
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If Demi Moore wasn’t going to win for her career-reviving performance in the horror satire The Substance, then surely British voters would reward Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her searing depiction of depression in Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths.—
Sarah Crompton,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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While that decline was painful for COST holders, the stock bottomed in mid-May, five months before the S & P 500 ultimately found its own low in October 2022.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2025
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Like witnessing a bad car crash, Ye’s (formerly known as Kanye West) latest episodes of hate speech and misogyny have been painful to watch and continue to elicit shock and dismay from every corner of the entertainment world.—
David Renzer,
Rolling Stone,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This is due to the bodywork, interior work, and intense customization required to retrofit a new drivetrain under an old body.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
8 Mar. 2025
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The intense gravitational pull from the black hole rips the two stars apart, capturing one star into a close orbit around it, notes the center.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The crane-hunt proposal reminds some observers of Wisconsin’s torturous experience with approving a mourning dove hunt a generation ago.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
17 Jan. 2025
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The Lombardi is more Holy Grail than trophy, the end of what can only be described as a torturous emotional pilgrimage.—
Ali Watkins,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Schneider wants to take calculated risks in free agency, but that can be tough to do when Seattle is one of many teams needing interior offensive upgrades.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
The Athletic,
11 Mar. 2025
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Another really tough stretch is ahead for the Heat.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Each of our pieces is a symbol of resilience, proving that creativity can thrive even under the harshest circumstances.—
Gemma A. Williams,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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Smith isn’t alone in that sentiment, as other analysts and critics have shared his harsh review of Bronny’s performance in the NBA.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Our only leverage were the ongoing national-level intensive negotiations over the NAFTA environmental side-accords.—
Serge Dedina,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Mar. 2025
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Finding and synthesizing that data would be both labor intensive and expensive for the district to do itself.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacramento Bee,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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An audacious plan In the mid-1980s, global health agencies were otherwise occupied and heads of state largely overlooked the illness afflicting millions of their citizens.—
Sam Mednick,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Dec. 2024
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The United States now suffers from twin pathologies—one afflicting the health of its citizens and the other the health of its political system.—
Thomas J. Bollyky,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Jan. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Excruciating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excruciating. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
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