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
Bill Marsh, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Bieber threw 12 shutout innings in his first two starts and struck out 20, but excruciating pain in both starts left him with no choice.
—Jason Lloyd, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
The 49ers’ season has been excruciating, taxing, frustrating, and, above all, disappointing.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 16 Dec. 2024
In Ross’s vision, no less excruciating, the reception of violence—and violence itself—is made visually oblique.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for excruciating 
Adjective
When the Carter Center began eradication efforts against Guinea worm disease in 1986, about 3.5 million people across 21 countries were afflicted with the excruciating condition.
—Bill Marsh, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Bieber threw 12 shutout innings in his first two starts and struck out 20, but excruciating pain in both starts left him with no choice.
—Jason Lloyd, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
The 49ers’ season has been excruciating, taxing, frustrating, and, above all, disappointing.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 16 Dec. 2024
In Ross’s vision, no less excruciating, the reception of violence—and violence itself—is made visually oblique.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for excruciating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excruciating
Adjective
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At the end of the day, room could not be found for even Marianne Jean-Baptiste, a past Oscar nominee who swept the major critics awards for her searing turn in Hard Truths, or Angelina Jolie, a past Oscar winner and the A-lister of A-listers, who seemed an early front-runner for the biopic Maria.—
Scott Feinberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
23 Jan. 2025
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Working for New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller in California’s 1964 Republican presidential primary, the pair ran a searing campaign against Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, falling just shy of an upset.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Spanish government is moving to rein in real estate purchases by foreigners and curb the spread of short-term rentals, part of a series of measures that officials say are necessary to alleviate a painful housing crunch that has rapidly become one of the worst in Europe.—
Liz Alderman,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
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Trump also makes clear his intent to apply painful public and government pressure on private-sector DEI practices as well, and does not cloak his reasons.—
The Editors,
National Review,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The single performs even better on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart, which is compiled in the same way as the Rock Digital Song Sales list, only the focus is exclusively on the more intense, harder style of the genre.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
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The Chiefs tallied another three points from Butker as both defenses were noticeably intense and solid as the first quarter ended 6-3 Kansas City.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Editor’s picks ‘Brutal beatings’ Cooper and hundreds of Dozier students accused school wardens of torturous abuse over minor infractions, like whippings, beatings, forced labor, and medical neglect.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
15 Dec. 2024
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Minuscule, meticulous, torturous, and incomprehensible to most mortals.—
Jean-Philippe Toussaint,
Harper's Magazine,
22 July 2024
Adjective
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Last year was a tough one for job seekers, who on average were unemployed for 23.3 weeks in December, up from 19.4 in December 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.—
Maria Gracia Santillana Linares,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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Though not nearly as consequential as Dallas losing Dončić, Minnesota took a tough blow Monday — Donte DiVincenzo will be out indefinitely due to a toe injury.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Avoid harsh or irritating products such as hydroxy acids (AHAs and BHAs) or retinoids.—
Anna Giorgi,
Verywell Health,
22 Jan. 2025
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News Politics Maryland lawmakers will focus on several public safety proposals this legislative session, including harsher sentences for criminal offenders and more tools for law enforcement.—
Glynis Kazanjian,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In 2002, the Israeli military occupied the camp after 10 days of intensive fighting, according to the UN, during which time more than 400 houses were destroyed and over a quarter of the camp’s population was displaced.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN,
24 Jan. 2025
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The initial iteration of the program, launched with partners Nike and Right to Dream, gave six Ghanaian women the chance to participate in a three-month intensive coaches training experience.—
Vitas Carosella,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 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
Thesaurus Entries Near excruciating
Cite this Entry
“Excruciating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excruciating. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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