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
-
The 15-centimeter-long fish died an agonizing death, impaled on a 10-centimeter-long belemnite.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
-
Laura and Geoff tried to summarize the heights of Greg’s life — most tied to football — as well as his agonizing final 15 years.—
Christopher Kamrani,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
Goldy still has one of those markers - excessive pulling - sitting unused in front of him.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes,
3 Jan. 2025
-
The Thunder trailed by 16 in the first half before pulling within 52-48 at halftime.—
Austin Knoblauch,
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
-
How to make your hair look longer Trying to grow your hair fast can feel torturous, with no one walking the same path to longer lengths.—
Ana Morales,
Vogue,
23 July 2025
-
The prospect of trying to cut open a stubborn 5-4-1 block in the Orlando heat could have become torturous quite quickly.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
The nearby fire department rushed by boat to the crash site and were assisted by a private tug boat that helped douse the fire that belched black smoke from the barge, said Alton Deputy Fire Chief Matt Fischer.—
Jesse Bedayn,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
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Most exoplanetary discoveries instead arise through far more indirect means, such as the dip in a star’s light caused by a world passing between its sun and our telescope or the tiny wobbling of a star caused by an orbiting planet’s gravitational tug.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
But a moment later, despite the excruciating pain and the loss of blood, her eyes brightened.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Disputes often take an excruciating 45 to 90 days to resolve and can cause consumers to hate their credit card or debit card bank, at least temporarily.—
Jeff Kauflin,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Classic American specialties with Native American twists at Bluff Dwellings Resort. 2625 S. U.S. 191, Bluff, Utah.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Burnett spent 30 years in the City Council and ended that career as one of Johnson’s most crucial allies — a twist from his endorsement of Johnson’s campaign runoff opponent.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Aug. 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 20 Aug. 2025.
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