GUT-WRENCHING Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

gut-wrenching

adjective

Definition of gut-wrenching

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

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.

Recent Examples of gut-wrenching And the first step in beginning to sell real, substantive hope will require incoming Canucks leadership to make some gut-wrenching decisions while surrounding themselves with a group of advisers of the highest quality. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 13 May 2026 Hours after that gut-wrenching loss, 25-year-old right-hander Ben Joyce pitched for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026 After losing three-game matches to Marist and DePaul Prep to finish fourth in the Smack Attack, Schindler putting the final touch on a gut-wrenching first game against the Porters was vital. — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026 Ultimately, in a gut-wrenching twist, her character dies following complications from preeclampsia and severe postpartum bleeding after giving birth. — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gut-wrenching

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gut-wrenching

Adjective

Multiple gruesome photos of the crime scene were exhibited on screen during the first day of the preliminary hearing Tuesday, showing a garbage bag with limbs inside, as well as Rivas’ bloody head and torso.

— Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
Directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, the film places one of the most gruesome villains from the DC universe front and center.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 22 July 2026

Definition of gruesome

Adjective

The largest, the Koda Suite (named for Leo’s dog), which was once occupied by the Daunt family, is a terrific family option, with two rooms, two bathrooms, tons of space, and its own private pool entrance.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
What’s far more eloquent is the episode with the witch Circe (a terrific Samantha Morton), whose habit of tricking and transforming men into animals is rendered in evocatively physical, body-horror-esque imagery.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 July 2026

Definition of terrific

Adjective

Yet somehow, two decades later, the viciously antisemitic Vichy regime planted itself in power; a shocking betrayal by France of some of its most loyal and generous supporters, in a dehumanizing toxic swamp of suspicion, judgment, envy.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
As shocking as the scandal surrounding Terrion Arnold is, the 2024 first-round pick had not played that well, and the Lions could be better without him.

— Vic Tafur, New York Times, 17 July 2026

Definition of shocking

Adjective

Set thousands of years in the future, the Blight has wiped out most of civilization, and while the name sounds gruesome and terrifying, the Blight itself is verdant and filled with flowers.

— Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
The trailer shows Depp as Scrooge tormented by the terrifying spirits of Christmas, haunting him throughout the Christmas season.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 23 July 2026

Definition of terrifying

Adjective

Investigators allegedly found 100,000 text messages between Burns and McNeese that painted a horrifying picture of what the boy endured.

— Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026
My prescribed low-carb, caffeine-free diet sounded horrifying on paper, but my sinful pleasures were replaced with a tasty, high-quality, and healthy alternative that left me more energized.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026

Definition of horrifying

Adjective

In the $200,000 San Clemente Handicap 35-1 longshot Somerset West (Armando Ayuso) outran nine other 3-year-old fillies, including three formidable challengers who shipped in from the east.

— Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2026
Ohtani spearheads the game’s most formidable hypothetical October rotation.

— Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 18 July 2026

Definition of formidable

Adjective

However, changing the Social Security formula to a means-testing base, and applying it immediately to all existing Social Security recipients, is a frightening idea.

— U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 July 2026
Panettiere's pregnancy was marked by a series of frightening health scares.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of frightening

Browse Nearby Words

gutty

gut-wrenching

guy

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“Gut-wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gut-wrenching. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of gut-wrenching

adjective

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