adj
excruciating
ihk-SKROO-shee-ay-tihng
adj
1
Extremely painful or unbearably intense.
"She described the pain in her back as excruciating."
"It was an excruciating wait for the test results."
How to Use Excruciating
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSo painful or intense it's almost impossible to bear.
Common pairings
excruciating pain
excruciating detail
excruciatingly slow
Word Forms
more excruciating comparative, most excruciating superlative
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Etymology
From Latin excruciare, "to torment" — ex- plus cruciare ("to torture"), from crux ("cross").