as in gruesome
informal
causing great mental or emotional pain
gut-wrenching decisions the novel's gut-wrenching opening scene
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gut-wrenching
The gut-wrenching film uses voice recordings between Hind Rajab and the Red Crescent volunteers who got the emergency call and tried to keep her on the line to get an ambulance to her.
—
Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
This novel, set in Australia at the outset of World War II, is gut-wrenching.
—The Know, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
Being intubated myself while having to make this decision was gut-wrenching.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Aug. 2025
Charlotte Lawrence loves a good, gut-wrenching, sad song.
—Leah Lu, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gut-wrenching
Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
This novel, set in Australia at the outset of World War II, is gut-wrenching.
—The Know, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
Being intubated myself while having to make this decision was gut-wrenching.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Aug. 2025
Charlotte Lawrence loves a good, gut-wrenching, sad song.
—Leah Lu, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gut-wrenching
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gut-wrenching
Adjective
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Since then, there’s been little doubt about who police believe is responsible for the 12-year-old schoolgirl’s gruesome death.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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Cultures around the world have ancient traditions of narrating events, sometimes gruesome, through song.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The nature of his creation may be horrific, but his heart beats the same as ours.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Others argue that an end to the fighting, and to the horrific images from Gaza that have flooded social-media feeds for two years, could allow American boosters of Israel to regain their footing.—
David M. Halbfinger,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But George has been terrific with us, putting him in different spots, different positions.—
Jon Machota,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Boyd is a terrific guy, amazing actor, super sweet.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And in a shocking twist, it was revealed that on one of the highest voting nights, no celebrity will be going home this week.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
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Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold became the first smartphone to explode during a JerryRigEverything durability test, marking a shocking moment in YouTuber Zack Nelson’s decade-long history of stress-testing devices.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There was also the terrifying clip, captured in August 2021, showcasing when a bull moose charged at a bystander.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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The drop was vertiginous and terrifying, but Young sidled right up to the edge.—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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His latest film is about the most horrifying thing of all.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
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And Sam’s idea was [to] tune it to sound horrifying.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Starters Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani make up one of the most formidable playoff rotations in recent memory and their lineup with Ohtani at the top followed by stars like Mookie Betts, Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez and a slew of others.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
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Edouard Langlois, a formidable dark-bearded gentleman, was the artistic director of the local Edwin Booth Theatre.—
Robert Eggers,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Add them to movie-night snacks, candy bowls, or trick-or-treat bags for a fun, not-too-frightening addition to your Halloween spread.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Oct. 2025
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The sight of armed soldiers outfitted for war on city streets strikes many Americans as a frightening escalation from a President seemingly bent on punishing those who oppose him.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gut-wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gut-wrenching. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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