Excruciating — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ik-ˈskrü-shē-ˌā-tiŋ/ ex·cru·ci·at·ing

Meaning & Definition of Excruciating

Excruciating (adjective)

  1. causing great pain or anguish, agonizing
  2. very intense, extreme

Excruciating (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. intensely or unbearably painful

    "he finally visited the doctor when the pain became too excruciating to ignore"

    similar: agonizing, harrowing, racking, raging, tormenting, torturing, torturous, wrenching
    related: acute, exquisite, extreme, fierce, intense, vehement, violent, biting, cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp, shooting, smarting, stabbing, stinging, tearing, tingling

  2. difficult to endure

    "the excruciating heat that the settlers faced as they crossed the deserts of the Southwest"

    similar: bitter, brutal, burdensome, cruel, grievous, grim, hard, hardhanded, harsh, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, rugged, searing, severe, stiff, tough, trying
    related: austere, bleak, comfortless, discomforting, forbidding, inhospitable, spartan, uncomfortable, biting, inclement, intemperate, wild, rigorous, strict, stringent, agonizing, heartbreaking, heartrending, painful, wretched, crushing, grinding, overwhelming, wearing, insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable, harrowing, tortuous, bad, disagreeable, hostile, unfriendly, unpleasant
    opposite: easy, light, soft
    near: comfortable, cozy, luxurious, snug, agreeable, friendly, genial, hospitable, pleasant, peaceful, relaxing, reposeful, restful, bearable, endurable, painless, tolerable, balmy, calm, clement, gentle, mild, moderate, temperate

  3. hard to accept or bear especially emotionally

    "most excruciating of all was the endless wait for news of any survivors of the plane crash"

    similar: afflicting, agonizing, bitter, cruel, galling, grievous, harrowing, harsh, heartrending, hurtful, painful, tormenting, torturous
    related: insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unacceptable, unbearable, unendurable, unsupportable, appalling, awful, bad, dire, dreadful, ghastly, horrible, miserable, nasty, rotten, severe, terrible, vile, wretched, acute, extreme, intense, piercing
    opposite: gratifying, pleasing, sweet
    near: bearable, endurable, supportable, sustainable, tolerable, livable, sufferable, survivable, acceptable, allowable, reasonable

  4. extreme in degree, power, or effect

    "the excruciating grief they felt upon the loss of their dear grandfather"

    similar: acute, almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, explosive, exquisite, fearful, fearsome, ferocious, fierce, frightful, furious, ghastly, hard, heavy, heavy-duty, hellacious, intense, intensive, keen, profound, terrible, vehement, vicious, violent
    related: accentuated, aggravated, concentrated, deepened, emphasized, enhanced, heightened, intensified, magnified, stressed, exhaustive, thorough, harsh, rigorous, severe
    opposite: light, moderate, soft
    near: feeble, weak, shallow, superficial, moderated, qualified, alleviated, eased, lightened, toned (down), abated, decreased, diminished, lessened, reduced, subdued

Excruciating (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause persistent suffering to

    "she has long been excruciated by an undiagnosed pain in her knee"

    similar: afflicting, agonizing, anguishing, bedeviling, besetting, besieging, cursing, harrowing, persecuting, plaguing, racking, tormenting, torturing
    related: assailing, attacking, badgering, dogging, hounding, pursuing, riding, aggravating, agitating, annoying, bothering, bugging, chafing, distressing, disturbing, exasperating, galling, getting, grating, griping, hagriding, harassing, harrying, irking, irritating, molesting, nettling, peeving, pestering, piquing, putting out, rasping, riling, vexing, discomforting, discomposing, disquieting, flustering, grieving, perturbing, straining, stressing, troubling, trying, upsetting, worrying, crushing, oppressing, overpowering, overwhelming, smiting, striking, tyrannizing, victimizing, hurting, paining, panging, pricking, smarting, stabbing, stinging, wringing, martyring
    near: abetting, aiding, assisting, helping, delivering, releasing, relieving, reprieving, comforting, consoling, contenting, quieting, solacing, soothing, succoring

Related Entry: Excruciate (verb)

Excruciate is a different word from Excruciating. The synonyms below are for excruciate, not for excruciating.

  1. to cause persistent suffering to

    "she has long been excruciated by an undiagnosed pain in her knee"

    similar: afflict, agonize, anguish, bedevil, beset, besiege, curse, harrow, persecute, plague, rack, torment, torture
    related: assail, attack, badger, dog, hound, pursue, ride, aggravate, agitate, annoy, bother, bug, chafe, distress, disturb, exasperate, gall, get, grate, gripe, hagride, harass, harry, irk, irritate, molest, nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put out, rasp, rile, vex, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, fluster, grieve, perturb, strain, stress, trouble, try, upset, worry, crush, oppress, overpower, overwhelm, smite, strike, tyrannize, victimize, hurt, pain, pang, prick, smart, stab, sting, wring, martyr
    near: abet, aid, assist, help, deliver, release, relieve, reprieve, comfort, console, content, quiet, solace, soothe, succor

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Excruciating

The most common words with a similar meaning to Excruciating:

agonizing, harrowing, racking, raging, tormenting, torturing, torturous, wrenching, bitter, brutal, burdensome, cruel, grievous, grim, hard, hardhanded, harsh, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, rugged, searing, severe, stiff, tough, trying, afflicting, galling, heartrending, hurtful, painful, acute, almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, explosive

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Excruciating

Words with the opposite meaning of Excruciating:

easy, light, soft, gratifying, pleasing, sweet, moderate

Related Words for Excruciating

extreme, biting, cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp, shooting, smarting, stabbing, stinging, tearing, tingling, austere, bleak, comfortless, discomforting, forbidding, inhospitable, spartan, uncomfortable, inclement, intemperate, wild, rigorous, strict, stringent, heartbreaking, wretched, crushing, grinding

Near Antonyms of Excruciating

comfortable, cozy, luxurious, snug, agreeable, friendly, genial, hospitable, pleasant, peaceful, relaxing, reposeful, restful, bearable, endurable, painless, tolerable, balmy, calm, clement, gentle, mild, temperate, supportable, sustainable, livable, sufferable, survivable, acceptable, allowable

Word Forms of Excruciating

Derived words: excruciatingly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Excruciating

First known use: 1599

Frequently Asked Questions about Excruciating

What does "Excruciating" mean?

"Excruciating" means causing great pain or anguish, agonizing. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: causing great pain or anguish, agonizing. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Excruciating"?

Other words for "Excruciating" include agonizing, harrowing, racking, raging, tormenting, torturing, torturous and wrenching. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Excruciating" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Excruciating"?

There are 185 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Excruciating". Common alternatives include agonizing, harrowing, racking, raging, tormenting, torturing, torturous, wrenching, bitter and brutal.

What is the opposite of "Excruciating"?

Antonyms of "Excruciating" include easy, light, soft, gratifying, pleasing, sweet and moderate. Near antonyms include comfortable, cozy, luxurious and snug.

How do you use "Excruciating" in a sentence?

Examples of "Excruciating" in a sentence: "he finally visited the doctor when the pain became too excruciating to ignore"; "the excruciating heat that the settlers faced as they crossed the deserts of the Southwest"; "most excruciating of all was the endless wait for news of any survivors of the plane crash".

Is "Excruciating" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Excruciating" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Excruciating"?

"Excruciating" is pronounced /ik-ˈskrü-shē-ˌā-tiŋ/ and divided into syllables as ex·cru·ci·at·ing.

What is the origin of the word "Excruciating"?

First known use: 1599.