1
as in sad
causing unhappiness
couldn't bear to see the heartrending photos of victims of the famine
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2
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
a heartrending choice between saving his daughter or his son
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3
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
heartrending memories of all the terrible crimes he'd committed and was sorry for now
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4
as in pathetic
deserving of one's pity
the heartrending sight of a starving child holding out his hands for food
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heartrending
After the latest heartrending horse carriage incident, activists and some Big Apple officials renewed their calls to outlaw the industry.
—
Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2025
In writing this book, Guralnick earned the trust of Parker’s second wife and widow, Loanne, who fills in some heartrending details.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Aug. 2025
Friedland has drawn upon those experiences for her tender and heartrending debut feature, Familiar Touch.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 20 June 2025
It’s rooted in the same heartrending themes about tapping into power through passion, but sets itself apart by exploring the story through the specificity of Indian culture.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
The awards season might be in full swing, but Small Things Like These deserves to be acknowledge for its outstanding direction and beautiful cinematography, as much as it should be recognized for the poignant and heartrending performances from Cillian Murphy and Emily Watson, particularly.
—Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Later, her anguish over his unjust plight—and her inability to rectify it—is both a galvanizing force and a heartrending reality.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 13 Dec. 2024
Garfield’s aptitude for self-conscious interiority and expertly modifying the tone and intensity of his performance is perfectly suited for the earnest, chaotic and heartrending demands of this modern dramedy.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2024
In its most heartrending section, a physical manifestation of the broken mother-child bond, 144 teak drawers slide open to display delicate objects that had been severed in half.
—Maria Laurino, The New Republic, 29 June 2023
Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2025
In writing this book, Guralnick earned the trust of Parker’s second wife and widow, Loanne, who fills in some heartrending details.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Aug. 2025
Friedland has drawn upon those experiences for her tender and heartrending debut feature, Familiar Touch.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 20 June 2025
It’s rooted in the same heartrending themes about tapping into power through passion, but sets itself apart by exploring the story through the specificity of Indian culture.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
The awards season might be in full swing, but Small Things Like These deserves to be acknowledge for its outstanding direction and beautiful cinematography, as much as it should be recognized for the poignant and heartrending performances from Cillian Murphy and Emily Watson, particularly.
—Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Later, her anguish over his unjust plight—and her inability to rectify it—is both a galvanizing force and a heartrending reality.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 13 Dec. 2024
Garfield’s aptitude for self-conscious interiority and expertly modifying the tone and intensity of his performance is perfectly suited for the earnest, chaotic and heartrending demands of this modern dramedy.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2024
In its most heartrending section, a physical manifestation of the broken mother-child bond, 144 teak drawers slide open to display delicate objects that had been severed in half.
—Maria Laurino, The New Republic, 29 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartrending
Adjective
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As Malcolm and Henry prepare to return home, they are met with the sad news that Isaac Grant (Brian McCardie) has died, throwing Malcolm into a new leadership position.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Sep. 2025
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Happy for her but selfishly sad.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Cleveland’s Progressive Field, though, has turned into Skubal’s Waterloo, the site of the two most painful and most fateful moments of his career thus far.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Björk's 2015 album Vulnicura tells the story of the Icelandic pop artist's emotional journey following a painful breakup with her then-longtime partner, American artist Matthew Barney.—
Chloe Veltman,
NPR,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As America continues to face tragic acts of school violence, parishioners and leaders alike see Castillo’s example as a source of strength.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
21 Sep. 2025
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When people are directed to fill their spiritual emptiness with rage, the social outcome is predictably tragic.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Jimmy Kimmel is a pathetic hate monger.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
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The festival was washed out by weather, promised luxury accommodations and food were nowhere to be found (except for some pathetic cheese sandwiches), and guests only stayed one night of what was supposed to be a two-week experience.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In the end, the depressing counter, which ended in the red, was pumped up by a pair of donations from Bargatze and CBS, bringing the end total to $350,000.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
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The amount of layoffs that would result from this merger is depressing to consider.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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These findings highlight an urgent need to shield stem cells from the harsh realities of space.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
20 Sep. 2025
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Rain is coming, penciled in for an hour or two from now, and a harsh British wind is flinging leaves off branches and cloaking the countryside with something that smells dungy and damp.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Plus, Vince’s on-screen demise serves an unfortunate reminder of the realities of real-life firefighting.—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
23 Sep. 2025
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The Ravens move on to Week 4 with an unfortunate stat, having scored 111 points across three games.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The poll also found that 51% of respondents perceive the current state of the economy as poor, and 61% express a lack of confidence that the economy will improve next year.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
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Low User Adoption Due To Poor Onboarding The primary hurdle is often low user adoption due to poor onboarding and a steep learning curve.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heartrending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartrending. Accessed 25 Sep. 2025.
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