as in agonizing
intensely or unbearably painful
forced to make the emotionally wrenching decision to place her mother in a nursing home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in twisting
a forceful rotating or pulling motion for the purpose of dislodging something
after a lot of wrenching and tugging, the plumber managed to pull the stubborn pipe free
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in pulling
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
2
as in damaging
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure
wrenched her shoulder by all of that heavy lifting
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in tearing
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
wrenched the post out of the ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wrenching
Mark Travers, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
The book’s most wrenching passages describe his administration’s treatment of the women, who were often assaulted by mobs while police looked on.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Jan. 2025
Carol remembers overhearing the gut-wrenching phone call between her father and her grandmother.
—Anna Turning, NBC News, 29 Dec. 2024
Synergy became key to the naturalism that makes the domestic drama so wrenching.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
The heart wrenching film, based on a book by author Colleen Hoover, follows a flower shop owner named Lily Blossom Bloom (Lively), who falls in love with a dashing neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) and reconnects with her stoic childhood sweetheart, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar).
—Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
Her wrenching performances in Dublin brought her back to stardom on the London stage.
—Bob Blaisdell, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Dec. 2024
On Saturday, the franchise had to make another gut-wrenching injury announcement.
—Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Dec. 2024
But looking to bounce back from the sting of a gut-wrenching loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, the Lakers (13-11) took care of business, beating the Blazers 107-98 to end their three-game losing streak.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 8 Dec. 2024
Verb
For others, the idea evokes gut-wrenching fear and anxiety.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
The book’s most wrenching passages describe his administration’s treatment of the women, who were often assaulted by mobs while police looked on.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Jan. 2025
Carol remembers overhearing the gut-wrenching phone call between her father and her grandmother.
—Anna Turning, NBC News, 29 Dec. 2024
Synergy became key to the naturalism that makes the domestic drama so wrenching.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
The heart wrenching film, based on a book by author Colleen Hoover, follows a flower shop owner named Lily Blossom Bloom (Lively), who falls in love with a dashing neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) and reconnects with her stoic childhood sweetheart, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar).
—Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
Her wrenching performances in Dublin brought her back to stardom on the London stage.
—Bob Blaisdell, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Dec. 2024
On Saturday, the franchise had to make another gut-wrenching injury announcement.
—Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Dec. 2024
But looking to bounce back from the sting of a gut-wrenching loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, the Lakers (13-11) took care of business, beating the Blazers 107-98 to end their three-game losing streak.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 8 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenching
Adjective
-
And to cope with the agonizing pain of childbirth, Victoria enthusiastically embraced chloroform.—
Sam Kelly,
Time,
8 July 2025
-
The New York Yankees, who won the 2024 American League pennant before losing a five-game Fall Classic to the Los Angeles Dodgers, fell out of first place on Independence Day weekend as an agonizing slump seemed to grip the entire team.—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Verb
-
An executive order, delivered Friday, cites national security concerns for pulling the deal.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Advertisement The lawsuit comes as insurers have been pulling back from California’s home insurance market en masse, often citing the risk of catastrophic events brought on by climate change.—
Andrea Chang,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Homages to the Bethesda games’ slow-motion kills are aplenty, with gratuitous shots of bullets tearing through bodies and painting the walls red.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Higbee was on the physically unable to perform list after tearing his back ACL and MCL last postseason.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Teddi Mellencamp has finally emerged on the healthy side of a torturous, years-long battle with cancer.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
9 July 2025
-
Working out was a chore or—even worse—torturous penance for failing to become the impossible ever-shrinking woman.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
The 18-year-old, who goes by the nickname Eliza rather than Elizabeth, opened up about the emotional tug of war between honoring her own identity and meeting her family’s expectations in a recent Reddit post.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
6 July 2025
-
Aim to finish with a clear success - whether that's catching the toy or winning a tug game.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
Simon’s excruciating back pain previously forced him to cancel his June 27 and 28 shows in Philadelphia.—
Rachel Flynn,
People.com,
3 July 2025
-
After cutting edge surgery Angela Sutphin is without excruciating pain in her right arm and can get a full night’s sleep.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
The showdown of General Zod and his henchmen also takes place at the Fortress, with a great twist to defeat them.—
Daryl Baxter,
Space.com,
11 July 2025
-
Players can also call out previous issues of their comics to help provide plot twists and other important background information.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Verb
-
Late Tuesday night, social media was awash with dramatic images of the raging blaze, as well as the hilltop museum surrounded by flames ripping through its surrounding trees and vegetation.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
8 Jan. 2025
-
The magazine said Gallagher provides vocals on the chorus, with Ryder taking on the verses, Starkey on drums, guitar, bass and keyboards and Bell ripping an extended guitar solo.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
8 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenching. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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