Synonyms of heartrending

heartrending

adjective

ˈhärt-ˌren-diŋ 

1

as in sad

causing unhappiness

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sad
• depressing
• heartbreaking
• pathetic
• mournful
• tearful
• unfortunate
• melancholy
• disturbing
• saddening
• teary
• dismal
• dreary
• drear
• sorry
• distressful
• distressing
• poignant
• lamentable
• deplorable
• touching
• moving
• disquieting
• grievous
• discomforting
• perturbing
• woeful
• disheartening
• dispiriting
• affecting
• discouraging
• discomposing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• happy
• glad
• inspiring
• cheery
• heartening
• uplifting
• stirring
• stimulating
• pleasant
• delightful
• satisfying
• pleasing
• agreeable
• heartwarming
• cheering
• enjoyable
• welcome
• pleasurable
• thrilling
• exhilarating

2

as in painful

hard to accept or bear especially emotionally

a heartrending choice between saving his daughter or his son

Synonyms & Similar Words

• painful
• harsh
• cruel
• torturous
• harrowing
• agonizing
• terrible
• excruciating
• horrible
• bitter
• hurtful
• grievous
• galling
• severe
• unacceptable
• awful
• unbearable
• tormenting
• dreadful
• afflicting
• intolerable
• dire
• intense
• bad
• appalling
• unendurable
• insupportable
• miserable
• vile
• insufferable
• ghastly
• extreme
• acute
• unsupportable
• wretched
• nasty
• rotten
• piercing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sweet
• gratifying
• pleasing
• bearable
• tolerable
• sustainable
• endurable
• supportable
• acceptable
• survivable
• reasonable
• livable
• allowable
• sufferable

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tragic
• unfortunate
• terrible
• distressing
• heartbreaking
• shocking
• painful
• disturbing
• horrible
• regrettable
• grievous
• lamentable
• distressful
• deplorable
• woeful
• unsettling
• sad
• dire
• sickening
• unlucky
• poignant
• awful
• disastrous
• severe
• dreadful
• pitiful
• piteous
• unbearable
• fearful
• harrowing
• miserable
• doleful
• troublesome
• traumatic
• alarming
• crushing
• moving
• horrifying
• touching
• overwhelming
• vexatious
• wretched
• excruciating
• intolerable
• affecting
• perturbing
• calamitous
• ruthful
• sharp
• raging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rewarding
• satisfying
• gratifying
• pleasing
• heartening
• comforting
• encouraging
• inspiring
• fortunate
• happy
• heartwarming
• lucky
• cheering

4

as in pathetic

deserving of one's pity

the heartrending sight of a starving child holding out his hands for food

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pathetic
• poor
• pitiful
• wretched
• miserable
• sorry
• heartbreaking
• pitiable
• piteous
• sad
• disturbing
• horrible
• rueful
• emotional
• terrible
• poignant
• impressive
• inspiring
• mournful
• regrettable
• lamentable
• distressing
• deplorable
• moving
• awful
• touching
• stirring
• sorrowful
• affecting
• grievous
• upsetting
• woeful

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unimpressive
• uninspiring

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of heartrending

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

For Emma, the heartrending decision became clear came the night the police descended on her North Miami neighborhood. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 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

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