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
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
Mike Jones, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
That would be a wrenching adjustment to household and business incomes if other changes to funding are not made — and such changes also will be hard.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 28 Sep. 2025
In her sit-down with Hudson, Holliday spoke about the legacy of the gut-wrenching ballad and the character, Effie, amid news of the Dreamgirls Broadway revival.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Gary Oldman) A raw, wrenching look at addiction and violence in South London—gritty, unflinching, and deeply compassionate.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2025
The black goo helped bring about the end of the Engineers; the xenomorphs, the end of various colonist human groups; and now the Lost Boys are wrenching the world from their adult overlords.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
In the second straight Sunday with a gut-wrenching loss, the Broncos fell three games to the back of the pack of the AFC West with a 23-20 loss to the Chargers.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
The Chargers are 2-0 and have been very impressive defensively, while the Broncos are 1-1 and are coming off a gut-wrenching loss last weekend to the Indianapolis Colts on a last-second field goal.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
The complaints are wrenching by any measure – boys and girls as young as 8 who claim they were targeted, molested and otherwise abused by county Health and Human Services Agency workers.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 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
Signature wins have turned into gut-wrenching losses.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
That would be a wrenching adjustment to household and business incomes if other changes to funding are not made — and such changes also will be hard.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 28 Sep. 2025
In her sit-down with Hudson, Holliday spoke about the legacy of the gut-wrenching ballad and the character, Effie, amid news of the Dreamgirls Broadway revival.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Gary Oldman) A raw, wrenching look at addiction and violence in South London—gritty, unflinching, and deeply compassionate.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2025
The black goo helped bring about the end of the Engineers; the xenomorphs, the end of various colonist human groups; and now the Lost Boys are wrenching the world from their adult overlords.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
In the second straight Sunday with a gut-wrenching loss, the Broncos fell three games to the back of the pack of the AFC West with a 23-20 loss to the Chargers.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
The Chargers are 2-0 and have been very impressive defensively, while the Broncos are 1-1 and are coming off a gut-wrenching loss last weekend to the Indianapolis Colts on a last-second field goal.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
The complaints are wrenching by any measure – boys and girls as young as 8 who claim they were targeted, molested and otherwise abused by county Health and Human Services Agency workers.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenching
Adjective
-
The worried mom immediately booked a flight from Virginia to Colorado, which was an agonizing trip.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
-
But as the search at the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, about 420 miles east of Jakarta, entered its fourth day on Thursday, Indonesian authorities made the agonizing decision to move from rescue to recovery.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Shepp announced that Veal earned the rare Girl Scout Saving Award, an accolade reserved for monumental acts of bravery; Veal, along with her mother, helped save the life of a Sand City Beach fisherman who lost his footing and collapsed, pulling him ashore.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The profile image on the chat features a behind-the-scenes snapshot of Bailey with his on-screen brothers Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton) and Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton) pulling silly faces.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Driven by Jonny Greenwood’s relentless score, the movie summons not only the images but the psycho-spiritual sensations of a country tearing itself apart.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Another loved that her 4 year old asked to build it again and again, gleefully tearing it apart just to redo it.—
Emily Glover,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The longtime actor and multi-faceted filmmaker crafts an unhinged, go-for-broke performance as a legendary quarterback putting his potential heir apparent (Tyriq Withers) through a psychologically torturous training camp.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Season 2 reveals the main characters were locked up in a torturous adult rehabilitation center, but have now been allowed to re-enroll at Godolkin University.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Firefly makes rockets, space tugs and lunar landers.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
-
There is a tug of war underway for their hearts and minds.—
Steven P. Dinkin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When that happens, the quads start tugging on your patellar tendon, a band of tissue that joins the kneecap with the shin bone, causing pain there, Ginader explains.—
Jenny McCoy,
Outside,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The heart-tugging comedy is a point of pride for Johansson, 40, who hopes to set an example to her kids by stepping behind the camera and chasing her dreams.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In the footage, a uniformed officer is seen forcibly grabbing the female passenger’s arm and yanking her towards the aisle.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Stern is one of several high-profile entertainments hosts who have condemned ABC and Disney for yanking Kimmel off the air.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In August, Lance Johnson woke up in the middle of the night with excruciating stomach pain in his lower right side.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The headline is that Europe pulled off a stunning victory on foreign soil, a win that was at times breathtaking and breathless, exhilarating and excruciating in equal measure.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenching. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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