excruciating

Modifies a noun

• agony: During his seven years in detention, he was forced to hang in a crucifix position for hours in excruciating agony.
• pain: The night we got Louis back, I suffered the most excruciating pain of my life, which began during a feed.
• death: Historic Note Jesus was 33 years old when He died an excruciating death by crucifixion.
• detail: The results, in excruciating detail, are posted on the Web.
• experience: Tony Lloyd now cheerfully recalls what must have been an excruciating experience.
• torture: This oven gave a slow excruciating torture and they eventually all died.

Modifying Another Word

• often: Let the music wash over you, reflect, relax, pray, etc. Sung evensong in many small parish churches is often excruciating.
• so: As she scrutinizes the menu, it becomes so excruciating to choose between her favorites that we negotiate a deal to split everything.
• absolutely: Listening to him eulogize over a player he couldn't have cared less about a week ago was absolutely excruciating.
• sometimes: Marx's delivery is honest and unaffected, making heavy use of letters and e-mails that he reads in sometimes excruciating detail.
• almost: Mr Rusch has produced a well written, well researched story, with almost excruciating detail.

Used with adjective complement

• become: And in the final scenes, the dramatic tension becomes excruciating.