heartrending

adjective

heart·​rend·​ing ˈhärt-ˌren-diŋ 

: heartbreaking sense 1

a heartrending story

heartrendingly

ˈhärt-ˌren-diŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of heartrending

• sad
• depressing
• heartbreaking
• pathetic
• mournful
• tearful

Examples of heartrending in a Sentence

couldn't bear to see the heartrending photos of victims of the famine

a heartrending choice between saving his daughter or his son

Recent Examples on the Web

Every new detail of the case is more heartrending—and stomach-turning—than the last. — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 1 May 2026

His appearance, stopping them in their tracks, is one of the most heartrending moments of any movie. — John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026

In the film’s most heartrending passage, when her odyssey has ended, this little girl, in a moment of quiet grace, sees just that. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Feb. 2026

The air was cooler up here, the signage sparing, the views of granite domes and uninterrupted forest vast and heartrending. — Gloria Liu, Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heartrending

• amending
• appending
• ascending
• attending
• befriending
• commending
• contending
• defending
• depending
• descending
• distending
• expending

Kids Definition

heartrending

adjective

heart·​rend·​ing ˈhärt-ˌren-diŋ 

: causing heartbreak

a heartrending tragedy