WRENCHED Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

wrenched

verb

past tense of wrench

as in pulled

to move by or as if by a forceful rotation with one last sharp yank, he wrenched the lid off the bottle of ketchup

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in damaged

to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure wrenched her shoulder by all of that heavy lifting

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in yanked

to separate or remove by forceful pulling wrenched the post out of the ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reattached

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 wrenched The sibling drama, meanwhile, rather fades out of view amid these loftier goings-on; the film’s narrative begins to feel devised by the old parlor game Consequences, repeatedly wrenched in erratic new directions. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 Miriam had given her a heavy coat and wrenched open the silver door. — Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026 On a moonless night, that Alpha team crept silently from the statue’s belly and wrenched open the gates of Troy, decisively ending the war in their favor. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026 Henley wrenched away from her mother's grip, turned, and darted up the stairs again, leaving Emily and Kate in startled silence. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026 Experts believe the crown’s flexible mount was strained when thieves wrenched it from its display through a narrow slot cut by the angle grinder, according to a report by the Louvre. — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026 And yet so much of the film community’s focus has been wrenched out of the past into an urgent present and uncertain future. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026 In a moment when even humanitarian work around these regions can be wrenched by bad-faith political agendas, Mustafa’s framing of the purpose of Saturday’s show was savvy and measured. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026 And Ahmed al-Ahmed, who came to Australia from Syria in 2006, a former policeman who now owns a fruit stand at Bondi Beach, tackled one of the gunmen and wrenched the rifle from him, even as he was wounded himself. — Scott Simon, NPR, 20 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenched

Verb

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad is taking the same muscular approach, adding more than 20 aircraft and new routes to Europe, Africa, and China as other long-haul carriers have pulled back.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Later, detectives produced three male DNA profiles from evidence collected at the scene, including some pulled from beer bottles and cigarette butts, but none were ever matched to anyone until recently.

— Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of pulled

Verb

Brewers starter Dustin May gave up three runs and six hits before being yanked with one out in the third.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026
In recent conversations with The Athletic, two coaches with deep affection for their alma mater described having the Camp Randall rug yanked from underneath them.

— Tim Graham, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of yanked

Verb

The half-hour series is a dark revenge comedy about Emma and Eli, old friends who reconnect after a long estrangement and find new purpose in taking down the man who tore them apart.

— Peter White, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
Ego Death wasn’t the first time that Williams tore herself apart and pulled herself back together through song.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of tore

Verb

Somewhere nearby, in a dark office, an eavesdropping oreja has just jerked to attention on his hard little chair.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026
Once the squid gather near the surface, lines fitted with bait are lowered into the water and rapidly jerked up and down to imitate small prey such as shrimp, triggering strikes before the catch is reeled aboard.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026

Definition of jerked

Verb

Chicago police said a man approached each victim from behind, wrapped his arms around them and then grabbed their breasts and groin area over their clothes before fleeing the area.

— Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Hardy avoided a collision, but Showalter grabbed him and swung him off his bicycle, the lawsuit said.

— Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of grabbed

Verb

In fact, Israel built its future wagering that the Palestinians violently displaced and expelled in the Nakba would eventually move on, assimilate, forget the depravity that ripped them from their land.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Wiring and pipes had been ripped out, and rags and boxes filled some of the rooms.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of ripped

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“Wrenched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenched. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of wrenched

verb

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