excruciatingly
/ɪkˈskruːʃieɪtɪŋli/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪkˈskruːʃieɪtɪŋli/ (ame, ipa)
excruciatingly — adverb
1. in a manner so painful or intense that enduring it feels scarcely possible
in a manner so painful or intense that enduring it feels scarcely possible
In the emergency room, a young father waited excruciatingly for news about his daughter.
verb + excruciatingly — describes the painful manner of an action
Cooking a full dinner with a broken wrist proved excruciatingly difficult for the new chef.
excruciatingly + adjective — intensifies a negative quality
The afternoon lecture dragged on excruciatingly, and several students began nodding off.
An excruciatingly long queue snaked around the post office that morning.
The job interview went excruciatingly badly, and the candidate knew she would not get a callback.
- unbearably
very close in meaning; slightly more common for emotional distress than physical pain
- agonizingly
more narrowly tied to physical or mental suffering; 'agonizingly slow' is a common phrase
- painfully
much milder and more common; can describe minor discomfort, while 'excruciatingly' always implies extreme intensity
- pleasantly
opposite in tone — describes something enjoyable rather than painful
- mildly
opposite in intensity — describes a low degree rather than an extreme one
文法句型
excruciatingly + adjective
verb + excruciatingly
用法筆記
Most often used before adjectives describing something negative (slow, painful, boring, awkward). Also follows verbs to describe how an action is performed. Rarely, if ever, used with positive adjectives.