excruciating

Everyday

1. Extremely painful. tree →
2. (informal) Terribly embarrassing, boring or awkward, so that you can hardly bear it. tree →

In the lessons

Sense 1 is used for real pain (an excruciating toothache, broken bone). Sense 2 is a common exaggeration in everyday talk: «excruciating embarrassment», «an excruciating speech». In safety lessons, excruciating pain is a reason to get help quickly.

Examples

• The pain in his broken leg was excruciating. tree →
• She had an excruciating toothache all night. tree →
• The wait for the test results was excruciating. tree →
• It was excruciating when Dad danced at my party. tree →
• The speech was so long and boring it was excruciating. tree →
• Stinging nettles can be painful, but a wasp sting can be excruciating. tree →

Note

Adjective; pronounced ex-KROO-shee-ay-ting. It comes from Latin for «torture» or «cross». It is a strong word; save it for very bad pain or very bad embarrassment. The adverb is «excruciatingly».