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
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
One particularly wrenching moment in the film made an impression on her stepfather, Kurt Russell.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Perhaps the most wrenching scene is one in which Anders, seated alone in a busy café, tunes in to ordinary conversations around him.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Sarah Adler
september 8, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Gut wrenching doesn’t begin to describe it.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2025
This wrenching and ultimately fatal sequence of events puts two design failures in sharp relief.
—David Autor, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Buckley’s gut-wrenching performance as Agnes, the wife of Paul Mescal’s William Shakespeare, in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet received critical acclaim.
—Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Season 10 of Tyler Perry’s Sistas picks up with the gut-wrenching aftermath of a car bomb, and the fallout is far from over.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
What a wrenching decision that must have been to make, and so heartbreaking to follow through on.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026
Texas basketball forward Dailyn Swain had the best game of his career, but that offered no solace after a wrenching 101-98 overtime loss to Mississippi State in the SEC opener for both squads Saturday at Moody Center.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 3 Jan. 2026
The space was replete with the repetitive knocking of drumsticks, the undulating rhythm of Qur’anic prayers, and the gut-wrenching murmur of lamentation coming from That is not still (Sesuatu yang tidak berdiam), a 2024 video work about Indonesia’s diverse soundscape.
—Hung Duong, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
The president then reminded his listeners, in wrenching yet familiar detail, how that affluent society had fallen apart.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
As if losing a gut-wrenching Game 7 weren’t bad enough for Drake and the Toronto Blue Jays, the hits kept coming during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series parade on Monday.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Warfare Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s Warfare is an admirable attempt to counter the truism that there’s no such thing as an anti-war movie — that all war movies, however gruesome or wrenching, effectively (and often unwittingly) wind up glamorizing combat to some degree.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
One particularly wrenching moment in the film made an impression on her stepfather, Kurt Russell.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Perhaps the most wrenching scene is one in which Anders, seated alone in a busy café, tunes in to ordinary conversations around him.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
People were calling it tacky, brave, MFA garbage, heart wrenching.
—Sarah Adler
september 8, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Gut wrenching doesn’t begin to describe it.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2025
This wrenching and ultimately fatal sequence of events puts two design failures in sharp relief.
—David Autor, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
Verb
There’s a gut-wrenching shot of all the bodies pulled from the building that makes this an unforgettable episode for the saddest of reasons.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Buckley’s gut-wrenching performance as Agnes, the wife of Paul Mescal’s William Shakespeare, in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet received critical acclaim.
—Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Season 10 of Tyler Perry’s Sistas picks up with the gut-wrenching aftermath of a car bomb, and the fallout is far from over.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
What a wrenching decision that must have been to make, and so heartbreaking to follow through on.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026
Texas basketball forward Dailyn Swain had the best game of his career, but that offered no solace after a wrenching 101-98 overtime loss to Mississippi State in the SEC opener for both squads Saturday at Moody Center.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 3 Jan. 2026
The space was replete with the repetitive knocking of drumsticks, the undulating rhythm of Qur’anic prayers, and the gut-wrenching murmur of lamentation coming from That is not still (Sesuatu yang tidak berdiam), a 2024 video work about Indonesia’s diverse soundscape.
—Hung Duong, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
The president then reminded his listeners, in wrenching yet familiar detail, how that affluent society had fallen apart.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
As if losing a gut-wrenching Game 7 weren’t bad enough for Drake and the Toronto Blue Jays, the hits kept coming during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series parade on Monday.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenching
Adjective
-
The femur is the human body’s longest, strongest bone, and among the most agonizing to break.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
-
After lifting the trophy in Russia eight years ago, painful memories of an agonizing loss to Argentina in Qatar remain.—
Amanda Davies,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As his career skyrocketed, Chalamet spent years quietly training — aided by an expert on the sport, Diego Schaaf — by pulling a table-tennis setup along to productions ranging from Dune to Wonka.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Notre Dame didn’t mess around in pulling all that material together, looking like a program with a plan before the portal opened.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Yost recommends walking around your home's perimeter and tightening any loose gutter hangers and brackets to prevent ice from tearing them off.—
Kamron Sanders,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 Jan. 2026
-
These policies impose devastating costs on American citizens, weakening our economy, increasing the national debt, straining public budgets and tearing families apart.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
September 22 Lucas Museum opens After a long, semi-torturous process, George Lucas’s grand vision for a public museum containing an impressive collection of paintings, drawings, and film memorabilia will finally come to fruition.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
22 Dec. 2025
-
During this increasingly torturous adjustment period, Millie learns Nina spent some time in a psychiatric facility years earlier after allegedly leaving Cece to drown in a bathtub and taking enough pills to kill herself.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
In addition, the city’s Fourth of July fireworks show requires barge and tug services and marine safety coordination, adding to the overall cost.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Throughout the night, the two teams continued to play a game of tug of war with neither team giving the other an inch.—
Mukala Kabongo,
Boston Herald,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And while Americans’ overall ideological self-identification looks stable in the aggregate (37% very conservative/conservative, 34% moderate, 25% very liberal/liberal), a January 2025 Gallup poll shows that this steadiness hides tectonic tensions tugging beneath the surface.—
Robert T.F. Downes,
Hartford Courant,
6 Jan. 2026
-
No more crying tots – or well-meaning helper elves – tugging on their long white beards and hemlines.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
26 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Therefore Primate and its promising central character turns more into a typical slasher flick, repeatedly knocking off the swimsuit-wearing teens one by one, his specialty being yanking out jaws and other bloody grossouts.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Keep the movement coming from your ribs, rotating, not by yanking your neck.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
28 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
The first round of the International Tennis Federation’s W35 tournament, played on a clay court in Nairobi, Kenya, wouldn’t normally make much of a splash in the tennis world, but millions of people have now seen what transpired over 37 excruciating minutes in the capital.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Along the way, his Colts had playoff appearances almost every year and an excruciating loss in an AFC Championship Game.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenching. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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