Main entry: heavy, grueling, gruelling, hard, laborious, backbreaking, arduous, toilsome, operose, punishing
Definition: characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort
Usage: worked their arduous way up the mining valley; a grueling campaign; hard labor; heavy work; heavy going; spent many laborious hours on the project; set a punishing pace
Main entry: punishing
Definition: resulting in punishment
Usage: the king imposed a punishing tax