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
Tim Padgett, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
These four novels create a convincing, wrenching, kaleidoscopic picture of the range and repetitions of the most fatal kind of love; the sort of love that allows nothing else to grow around it, that eradicates all dignity; a love which, in order to be completed, must be told.
—Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
What's going on is absolutely heart-wrenching.
—Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Cori Sears, The Spruce, 22 Jan. 2026
Such is the case in Quiara Alegría Hudes’s wrenching and mordant debut novel, The White Hot, in which 26-year-old April Soto hits her breaking point and walks out on her 10-year-old daughter, Noelle.
—Ruth Madievsky, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
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
Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
In the heart-wrenching Season 2 finale, Morgan and Karadec’s investigation into a poolside death at a Los Angeles hotel resulted in the arrest of Lucia, a guest relations manager who confesses to tipping off and then covering for the conman who murdered a home improvement reality show host.
—Max Gao, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
OpenAI says the world needs to rethink everything from the tax system to the length of the work day in order to prepare for the wrenching changes of superintelligence technology—the point at which AI systems are capable of outperforming the smartest humans.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
Ochoa’s snide speech about his privileged private school becomes a wrenching aria of desolation and need.
—Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
Monday night proved to be a gut-wrenching Toronto Blue Jays debut for starting pitcher Cody Ponce.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Three years of heart wrenching testimony has finally paid off for some Colorado parents.
—Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
The transition from agricultural employment to factory employment involved wrenching mass migration, the utter misery of the Great Depression (as well as other brutal recessions, now faded from collective memory), and the painful dealmaking of the New Deal.
—Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Interview with Savannah Guthrie is gut wrenching Savannah Guthrie and her family have made several videos posted on social media, asking the public for help and thanking people for their prayers and support, but this was the first interview with a media outlet that Savannah Guthrie has given.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Another wrenching question, of course, is whether at least the younger Perez siblings would want or need to go with Olga to Guatemala if she were deported.
—Tim Padgett, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
These four novels create a convincing, wrenching, kaleidoscopic picture of the range and repetitions of the most fatal kind of love; the sort of love that allows nothing else to grow around it, that eradicates all dignity; a love which, in order to be completed, must be told.
—Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
What's going on is absolutely heart-wrenching.
—Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
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
This can feel challenging and heart-wrenching.
—Cori Sears, The Spruce, 22 Jan. 2026
Such is the case in Quiara Alegría Hudes’s wrenching and mordant debut novel, The White Hot, in which 26-year-old April Soto hits her breaking point and walks out on her 10-year-old daughter, Noelle.
—Ruth Madievsky, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
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
Verb
From that point in the novel to its wrenching end, June searches for her baby with the passionate abandon of a first-time mother and the aching hunger of every mother separated from her child.
—Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
In the heart-wrenching Season 2 finale, Morgan and Karadec’s investigation into a poolside death at a Los Angeles hotel resulted in the arrest of Lucia, a guest relations manager who confesses to tipping off and then covering for the conman who murdered a home improvement reality show host.
—Max Gao, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
OpenAI says the world needs to rethink everything from the tax system to the length of the work day in order to prepare for the wrenching changes of superintelligence technology—the point at which AI systems are capable of outperforming the smartest humans.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
Ochoa’s snide speech about his privileged private school becomes a wrenching aria of desolation and need.
—Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
Monday night proved to be a gut-wrenching Toronto Blue Jays debut for starting pitcher Cody Ponce.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Three years of heart wrenching testimony has finally paid off for some Colorado parents.
—Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
The transition from agricultural employment to factory employment involved wrenching mass migration, the utter misery of the Great Depression (as well as other brutal recessions, now faded from collective memory), and the painful dealmaking of the New Deal.
—Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Interview with Savannah Guthrie is gut wrenching Savannah Guthrie and her family have made several videos posted on social media, asking the public for help and thanking people for their prayers and support, but this was the first interview with a media outlet that Savannah Guthrie has given.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenching
Adjective
-
Marketing executive Mathew Evins lived with chronic back pain for eight agonizing years.—
Susan Spencer,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The show did not overtly discuss the agonizing circumstances facing the Guthrie family.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Just like Hailey Bieber—who opted for a ’90s-era, yellow and pink-trimmed Dior slip—Jenner had her fun with pulling festival-ready archive fashion.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Rodrigo is pulling double duty as musical guest on her episode, followed by Noah Kahan and Paul McCartney.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Johnn Baptista, who lives in the area, shared footage with the Miami Herald that showed the storm tearing his awning off the ground and tossing a children’s play set and other items across his yard.—
Sofia Saric,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Then, on a force play, Contreras slid hard into second, banging into shortstop David Hamilton’s left knee with his cleats and tearing his pants.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The timing of the interview—just a few days before Holy Week, when Christians like Nancy and Savannah Guthrie, year after year, stage a harrowing reënactment of an unjust, torturous death—wasn’t lost on anyone.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
While folks all across the nation are grappling with torturous TSA lines, Joe Jonas actually had fun at the airport on Saturday.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In space, the gravitational tugs from passing planets act like those currents.—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The tug reportedly struck an object and was taking on water.—
Tiffany Watson,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nanny Aimee -- our second in command -- was moving through the far corners of the house, waking up each of the littles, kissing sleepy eyelids, tugging my two toddlers gently forward into the day.—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Generally, both experts recommend being extra careful with blinds (following manufacturer directions, for example, and not tugging or pulling when dusting).—
Lori Keong,
Architectural Digest,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Chelsea were a few seconds from going out of the quarter-finals (losing 3-2 on aggregate) when Arsenal full-back Katie McCabe halted a run by Chelsea’s USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson by grabbing Thompson’s ponytail and yanking it, as shown above.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Keep the movement coming from your ribs, rotating, not by yanking your neck.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Coming off an excruciating 119-loss season, the Rockies cleaned house in the front office and promised a new, exciting era of baseball.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Obviously, the best part was watching Colby drop with a hard fall, rolling over in excruciating pain, and then giving Probst a thumbs up sign… because thumbs up signs are never not hilarious.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenching. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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