19
arduous(adjective, hard, tough, severe, difficult)
15
laborious(adjective, hard, tough, severe, difficult)
12
backbreaking(adjective, hard, tough, severe, difficult)
10
heavy(adjective, hard, tough, severe, difficult)
9
toilsome(adjective, hard, tough, severe, difficult)
9
appalling(adjective, awful, terrible, horrible, afraid)
8
tiring(verb, adjective, hard, tough, severe)
8
grievous(adjective, awful, terrible, horrible, painful)
8
harrowing(adjective, awful, terrible, horrible, painful)
7
gruelling
7
trying(verb, adjective, hard, tough, difficult)
7
fatiguing(adjective, hard, tough, severe, difficult)
7
painful(adjective, hard, tough, severe, difficult)
7
woeful(adjective, awful, terrible, horrible, painful)
7
ghastly(adjective, bad, awful, terrible, disgusting)
7
severe(adjective, hard, tough, difficult, harsh)
6
hard(adjective, severe, difficult, harsh, heavy)
6
exhausting(adjective, hard, tough, severe, difficult)
6
strenuous(adjective, hard, tough, severe, difficult)
6
cruel(adjective, awful, terrible, horrible, painful)
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APASmart Define. (2015). grueling thesaurus. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/grueling/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2015. "grueling thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/grueling/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 22, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2015, grueling thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/grueling/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "grueling thesaurus" 10 April 2015. Web. 22 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/grueling/thesaurus/synonyms>