The word "grueling" is spelled G-R-U-E-L-I-N-G. The phonetic transcription of this word is /ˈɡruːlɪŋ/. This word is often misspelled due to its tricky pronunciation. It derives from the verb ‘gruel’ which means to exhaust someone. Therefore, 'grueling' is defined as something that is extremely tiring, challenging or exhausting. In popular usage, it is often applied to physical activities like long-distance running, endurance sports or even work routines that demand a lot of physical exertion.
Grueling is an adjective that describes a task, activity, or situation that is extremely challenging, demanding, and exhausting. It refers to something that requires great physical, mental, or emotional effort, often pushing individuals to their limits.
In a physical sense, grueling implies intense endurance and strenuous exertion. It describes activities that may be physically draining, such as a marathon, a difficult workout, or a grueling hike up a steep mountain. These tasks often demand significant stamina, making them arduous and long-lasting, with a high potential to leave individuals physically drained and pushed to their physical limits.
Grueling can also describe mentally demanding tasks that require intense concentration, focus, and intellectual effort. This can include lengthy examinations, complex problem-solving, or preparing for a highly challenging project. These activities engage the mind extensively, testing one's mental endurance and often leading to mental exhaustion.
Furthermore, grueling can extend beyond just physical and mental aspects, encompassing emotionally draining situations. It may describe emotionally challenging experiences like coping with loss, enduring a difficult relationship, or dealing with a traumatic event. These situations can take a toll on one's emotional wellbeing, causing distress and overwhelming feelings.
Overall, grueling captures the essence of extreme difficulty and the immense effort required to overcome such challenges, be it physically, mentally, or emotionally.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "grueling" is derived from the noun "gruel", which dates back to the early 18th century. "Gruel" referred to a thin, watery porridge made by boiling grain or meal, often given as food to prisoners or the poor as it was inexpensive to produce. The adjective "grueling" originated in the 1860s as a colloquial extension of "gruel", and was used to describe a physically or mentally demanding task or activity that required great effort or endurance. Over time, "grueling" came to be the more popular and widely accepted spelling of the word.