| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | torturous, painful |
| Synonyms: | acute, agonizing, burning, chastening, consuming, exquisite, extreme, grueling, harrowing, insufferable, intense, piercing, punishing, racking, rending, searing, severe, sharp, shooting, stabbing, tearing, tormenting, torturesome, torturing, unbearable, unendurable, violent |
| Antonyms: | bearable, endurable, helpful, pleasant, pleasing, soothing |
| Main Entry: | acute |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | severe, intense |
| Synonyms: | cutting, distressing, excruciating, exquisite, fierce, keen, overpowering, overwhelming, piercing, poignant, powerful, racking, severe, sharp, shooting, stabbing, sudden, violent |
| Notes: | acute is used for a sudden onset and short duration; chronic is for conditions that are slow to develop and of long duration acute is an angle of less than 90 degrees; obtuse is one of more than 90 degrees chronic is contrasted with acute as chronic pain persists over a longer period of time than acute pain and is resistant to most medical treatments |
| Main Entry: | agonizing |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | difficult and painful, suffering |
| Synonyms: | disturbing, excruciating, extreme, fierce, harrowing, intense, racking, struggling, tearing, tormenting, tortuous, torturing, vehement, violent |
| Main Entry: | cruel |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | vicious, pitiless; causing pain |
| Synonyms: | atrocious, barbarous, bestial, bitter, bloodthirsty, brutal, brutish, callous, cold-blooded, degenerate, demoniac, depraved, evil, excruciating, ferocious, fierce, flinty, hard, hard-hearted, harsh, hateful, heartless, hellish, implacable, inexorable, inhuman, inhumane, malevolent, merciless, monstrous, painful, pernicious, poignant, rancorous, relentless, revengeful, ruthless, sadistic, sinful, spiteful, tyrannical, unfeeling, unkind, unnatural, unrelenting, vengeful, vicious, virulent, wicked |
| Antonyms: | charitable, compassionate, considerate, feeling, gentle, kind, merciful, sympathetic, thoughtful, uncruel |
| Main Entry: | exquisite |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | intense |
| Synonyms: | acute, concentrated, consummate, desperate, excruciating, extreme, fierce, furious, keen, piercing, poignant, sharp, terrible, transcending, vehement, vicious, violent |
| Antonyms: | dull, ordinary |
| Main Entry: | grueling |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | difficult, taxing |
| Synonyms: | arduous, backbreaking, brutal, chastening, crushing, demanding, excruciating, exhausting, fatiguing, fierce, grinding, hairy*, hard, harsh, heavy*, laborious, punishing, racking, severe, stiff, strenuous, tiring, torturous, trying |
| Notes: | grueling means characterized by physical effort to the point of exhaustion; gruesome means shockingly repellent, inspiring horror |
| Antonyms: | easy, facile |
| Main Entry: | harrowing |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | dangerous, frightening |
| Synonyms: | agonizing, alarming, chilling, distressing, disturbing, excruciating, heart-rending, heartbreaking, nerve-racking, painful, racking, soaring, tearing, terrifying, tormenting, torturing, torturous, traumatic |
| Antonyms: | calming, pleasant, pleasing, unfrightening |
| Main Entry: | heartrending |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | arousing deep sympathy |
| Synonyms: | agonizing, distressing, doleful, excruciating, harrowing, heartbreaking, heartsickening, moving, piteous, pitiful, sad, tear-jerking, touching, tragic |
| Main Entry: | intolerable |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | unacceptable; beyond bearing |
| Synonyms: | a bit much, enough already, excruciating, extreme, impossible, insufferable, insupportable, last straw, offensive, painful, unbearable, undesirable, unendurable |
| Antonyms: | acceptable, bearable, tolerable |