gut-wrenching

adjective

gut-wrench·​ing ˈgət-ˌren-chiŋ 

: causing mental or emotional anguish

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Guertin provided gut-wrenching testimony in district court about the ordeal and Matthews’ horrific last moments during a preliminary exam in February. —Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 1 June 2023

For example, if someone has suffered from an illness or gut-wrenching heartbreak, their life line may develop some sort of mark to indicate that, Goldberg explains. —Alyssa Girdwain, Women's Health, 31 May 2023

This newer material, full of gut-wrenching punches, outshines her older, sweeter acoustic albums. —Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2023

Worst-case scenarios are standard fare Week 13 blowout losses for Jets fans, if not unthinkably gut-wrenching playoff collapses in the best of times. —Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2023

Instead, the Beavers suffered a pair of gut-wrenching defeats, succumbing to back-to-back rallies by the Sun Devils. —Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 24 Apr. 2023

But the Washington Post published a gut-wrenching report on Monday about two separate cases in which hospitals dangerously delayed care for women experiencing this condition in Broward County, Fla., in December 2022. —John Mccormack, National Review, 10 Apr. 2023

The Aztecs outlasted Creighton, 57-56, in a game drenched in drama with a controversial foul call, gut-wrenching free throws, a length-of-the-court pass, a premature celebration, a minutes-long review by officials — all in the final 1.2 seconds — to seal a spot in the Final Four. —Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2023

Regardless, the bottom line was a gut-wrenching loss for Dallas on a night in which Luka Doncic returned from a five-game thigh-injury absence by contributing 30 points, 17 assists and 7 rebounds. —Brad Townsend, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above