wrenching 1 of 3

wrenching

2 of 3

noun

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

wrenching

3 of 3

verb

present participle of wrench

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 wrenching
Noun
This wrenching and ultimately fatal sequence of events puts two design failures in sharp relief. David Autor, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
Verb
The film’s all-Palestinian cast — including Motaz Malhees, Clara Khoury and Amer Hlehel — spoke in Venice of the emotionally wrenching mood throughout production. Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025 The gut-wrenching film uses voice recordings between Hind Rajab and the Red Crescent volunteers who got the emergency call and tried to keep her on the line to get an ambulance to her. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025 Co-starring Andrew Scott as Rodgers and Margaret Qualley as a semi-fictionalized admirer of the closeted Hart, Blue Moon promises to be a wrenching look at a complex and tortured songwriter, with stunning performances to boot. Samantha Allen, Them., 2 Sep. 2025 An increasing number of deaths due to malnutrition have also been reported and gut-wrenching images have emerged of suffering children and long food lines. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2025 Lily took her EpiPen, gave herself a second injection and shared a wrenching exchange with her mother. Janelle Griffith, People.com, 15 Aug. 2025 Set to Tchaikovsky’s heart wrenching score, this tragic tale tells the story of Prince Siegfried, who falls in love with the ethereal Odette. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 14 Aug. 2025 People hollowed out by 30 years of grief recount what happened in raw, wrenching detail. Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025 On July 23, Tom Ferebee dropped a Little Boy test bomb off Tinian as the plane rehearsed the gut-wrenching 155-degree right bank necessary to escape the blast. David Perlmutt, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenching
Adjective
  • Their youngest son, Grayson, can still recall the day his parents reported to their separate facilities — and the agonizing decision of who to accompany.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
  • To see Gauff and Shelton live through the rollercoaster was agonizing and uplifting at the same time.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Instead, his impact, like pulling children into his winner's circle, will continue to be honored by other tracks.
    Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Carpenter spoke with Morning Edition host Leila Fadel about the challenges of relationships, her controversial album cover, which depicts her kneeling beside a man who is pulling her hair, and the new songs featured on the album.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Rodgers had a very forgettable two-year run as the Jets QB over the last two seasons, leading the team to a 5-12 record in 2024 after missing all of the 2023 season after tearing his Achilles in the season opener that year.
    Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Missed the final 14 games last year after tearing his ACL at Tampa.
    Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Within the film’s compact running time, writer-director Ben Hania traces the fraught and torturous hours of January 29, 2024, when Palestine Red Crescent volunteers in the West Bank tried to calm a terrified 6-year-old girl and get an ambulance to her in Gaza.
    Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
  • From the almost humorous to the truly torturous, being plunked into unknown wilderness in total isolation—which is what happens on Alone—results in all manner of strange mental phenomenon.
    Woniya Thibeault, Outside, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • When the state attorney’s office steps in, the prosecution pushes back, resulting in a legal and political tug of war that thrusts Adnan’s case into chaotic uncertainty.
    Peter White, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Several noted that his instinctive tug had likely prevented the pair from colliding with the elk.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The wind howled, rattling metal signs and tugging at our clothes as the dust swallowed everything in sight.
    Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • But some lawmakers say that argument is baseless and that yanking the grants has left the state less equipped to prevent tragedies like this week’s attack at Annunciation Catholic School.
    Curt Devine, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
  • See, for example, Trump yanking the security clearances of former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director Chris Krebs for his defense of the 2020 election as securely run.
    Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Anyone who has competed on Survivor or any non-live reality competition knows that being humiliated on-camera doesn’t stop at the end of the taping; there’s typically a period of waiting for the actual show to be televised, and that can be almost as excruciating.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025
  • Extra canister now, no excruciating diarrhea later.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenching. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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