grinding (down)

verb

present participle of grind (down)
as in overwhelming
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress the workers are being ground down by the long work hours which leave them little time for anything else

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinding (down)
  1. overwhelming
  2. devastating
  3. overcoming
  4. crushing
Verb
  • If this news is overwhelming you, maybe try a deep, brain-poisoning breath.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The very things that were supposed to be making life easier were overwhelming the human nervous system, patients and doctors alike believed.
    — Kirsten Balin, STAT, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of overwhelming
Verb
  • The earthquake comes less than two months after a border region of Nepal and Tibet was struck by devastating flash flooding that left hundreds of people dead and destroyed several communities.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since April 2023, devastating large parts of the country and threatening stability along its borders.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of devastating
Verb
  • His early story is known as one of overcoming difficult circumstances and finding a creative outlet in music.
    — Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The song addresses overcoming adversity and using others’ doubts to fuel your passion.
    — Melinda Newman, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • That album, like the Dio Sabbath classics before it, was fine-tuned for metalhead appreciation, thick with crushing riffs and dramatic vocals.
    — Brad Sanders, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Elsewhere, Leipzig bounced back from heavy defeats against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid by crushing Elversberg 4-0.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of crushing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

grinding
grinding (down)
grinding (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Grinding (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinding%20%28down%29. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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