Excruciating
/ɪkˈskruːʃieɪtɪŋ/
Definitions
Causing intense pain; agonizing; extremely unpleasant.
/ɪkˈskruːʃieɪtɪŋ/
Causing extreme physical or mental pain or suffering.
The excruciating headache made it impossible for her to concentrate.
💡 Simply: Imagine you stub your toe really, REALLY hard. Or, imagine waiting for something you really want, and it takes forever! That feeling is excruciating.
👶 For kids: Something that feels really, really bad, like ouch! It hurts a lot!
More Examples
The athlete suffered an excruciating injury during the competition.
The silence after the joke was an excruciating moment of embarrassment.
How It's Used
"The excruciating pain in her back made it difficult to move."
"The excruciating wait for the exam results was almost unbearable."
From Latin *ex-*(out of) + *cruciare* (to torture, torment), related to *crux* (cross). Originally referring to the pain associated with crucifixion.
Used since the late 16th century, initially primarily to describe physical torture.
Memory tip
Think of *ex-* as "out of" and *cruciate* related to "crucifixion". Excruciating pain is like the pain of being crucified.