gruelling
So hard and tiring that it completely wears you out.
gruelling in a sentence
- After the gruelling ten-mile hike, the scouts collapsed into their tents.
- Swimmers face a gruelling training schedule, ploughing up and down the pool before dawn every day.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to gruelling?
- Arestful
- Bexhausting
- Cgentle
- Deasy
Show the answer
B: exhausting. The other three mean the opposite of gruelling.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to gruelling?
- Atiring
- Beasy
- Cexhausting
- Dtough
Show the answer
B: easy. The other three mean nearly the same as gruelling.
Words that mean something similar
exhausting, tiring, tough
Words that mean the opposite
easy, gentle, restful
More words about movement & action
- hamper: To make it hard for someone to do something.
- hasty: Done too quickly and without thinking.
- hectic: Extremely busy and full of rushing about.
- hinder: To make something harder to do or slow it down.
- hoist: To lift something up, often using ropes or effort.
- hurtle: To move very fast, often without control.
- immobile: Not moving or not able to move.
- intercept: To stop or catch something before it reaches where it is going.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test