grueling

英 ['grʊəlɪŋ] 美 ['gruːəlɪŋ]

adj.折磨人的；令人精疲力竭的

=gruelling（英）

◉词源

“grueling”源自英语动词“gruel”，意为“惩罚、折磨”，可能与19世纪俚语“to get one’s gruel”（受到惩罚）相关。该词在19世纪中叶演变为形容词“grueling”，意为“令人筋疲力尽的”或“艰苦的”，描述极具挑战性或消耗体力的事物。

◉外刊例句

① 《The New York Times》 (2024年6月5日)

The marathon was a grueling test of endurance.

马拉松是一场艰苦的耐力考验。

② 《The Guardian》 (2023年12月15日)

Nurses faced grueling shifts during the crisis.

护士在危机期间面临艰苦的轮班工作。

◉经典名著

① 《野性的呼唤》（The Call of the Wild） by Jack London (1903)

The trail was a grueling ordeal for the dogs.

这条小路对狗来说是一场艰苦的折磨。

② 《儿子与情人》（Sons and Lovers） by D.H. Lawrence (1913)

His work in the mines was grueling.

他在矿井里的工作极为艰苦。

◉Usage Examples

(1) The Hawaii Ironman is even more grueling.

(2) The presentation of future plans had been a grueling work.

(1) 夏威夷铁人三项赛就更艰巨了。

(2) 制定这些计划是一项令人精疲力竭的工作。

◉Usage Notes

If a job is grueling, that means it is really difficult. If a race is grueling, that means it is really difficult. If a trip to the dentist is grueling, that means you need to toughen up.

Once upon a time in a land far far away (like eighteenth century England) there was an expression, to “get one’s gruel,” which meant “receive one’s punishment.” This saying morphed into the word grueling, which can be applied to any punishing activity. Presumably, to “get one’s gruel” involved horrible punishments, but now the more pampered among us might even find a long tennis match grueling.