adj

gruelling

GROOR-lihng

adj

Extremely demanding, exhausting, or difficult to endure.

"She completed a gruelling marathon through the mountains."

"It was a gruelling week of back-to-back exams."

How to Use Gruelling

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishPhysically or mentally punishing and exhausting.

UK vs US

British English spells it "gruelling"; American English usually drops one L to "grueling."

Common pairings

a gruelling schedule gruelling training

more gruelling comparative, gruellings plural, most gruelling superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

She completed a _____ marathon through the mountains.

From the verb gruel, meaning to exhaust or punish, itself derived from the noun gruel.

telling welling selling yelling felling spelling dwelling swelling smelling shelling modelling expelling