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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of wrenching
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
26 May 2026
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
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2026
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
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
22 June 2026
From the performances by Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott to the heart-wrenching score by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch and the gentle script by Haigh, this makes for one of my favorite films of the 2020s.
—
Staff Report,
Oc Register,
21 June 2026
The footage released by the LAPD on Friday shows the moments leading up to the heart-wrenching scene.
—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
Its portrayal of overwhelming, gut-wrenching grief could easily leave its characters cynical about love.
—
Dana Feldman,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
And this wrenching essay from visual artist and poet Kennedy Amenya Gisege considers the unique spiritual toll that incarcerated parents face.
—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Savannah stepped back from her role on Today at the time, sharing a number of gut-wrenching pleas to the public with the hope of finding her mother.
—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
8 June 2026
Success after so much failure—gut-wrenching letdowns after episodes of Odyssean temptation to fleeting belief, too many to count—is almost an ordeal.
—
Austin Elias-De Jesus,
New Yorker,
3 June 2026
The new policy memorandum, however, could force families like hers to make wrenching choices, sending one member of a couple out of the country with no guarantee they would be allowed back in.
—
Cassandra Burke Robertson,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
Adjective
His most wrenching scene, when Stagg receives a devastating personal call but cannot react amid the intense geopolitical stakes, captured this tension.
—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
26 May 2026
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
Iyer called the case heart-wrenching.
—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2026
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
The family had to make the heart-wrenching decision to take him off life support.
—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
22 June 2026
From the performances by Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott to the heart-wrenching score by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch and the gentle script by Haigh, this makes for one of my favorite films of the 2020s.
—
Staff Report,
Oc Register,
21 June 2026
The footage released by the LAPD on Friday shows the moments leading up to the heart-wrenching scene.
—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
Its portrayal of overwhelming, gut-wrenching grief could easily leave its characters cynical about love.
—
Dana Feldman,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
And this wrenching essay from visual artist and poet Kennedy Amenya Gisege considers the unique spiritual toll that incarcerated parents face.
—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Savannah stepped back from her role on Today at the time, sharing a number of gut-wrenching pleas to the public with the hope of finding her mother.
—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
8 June 2026
Success after so much failure—gut-wrenching letdowns after episodes of Odyssean temptation to fleeting belief, too many to count—is almost an ordeal.
—
Austin Elias-De Jesus,
New Yorker,
3 June 2026
The new policy memorandum, however, could force families like hers to make wrenching choices, sending one member of a couple out of the country with no guarantee they would be allowed back in.
—
Cassandra Burke Robertson,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenching
Adjective
-
His agonizing response — Chisholm spent several minutes on the ground in pain — only seemed to confirm that.
-
There are many reasons the Rays have followed their amazing 22-4 stretch (from April 22-May 22) with an agonizing 7-15 run (May 24 through Wednesday).
Noun
-
If all goes well, Katalyst's space tug (it's called Link) will lift the Swift observatory into a higher, safer orbit — one that will add years of life to the aging space telescope's mission.
-
The clash between the two dynamics — one extolling beauty, the other detailing gruesome crimes — makes for an oil-vinegar mix that speaks to the tug of war women experience between using the beauty versus their brains.
Verb
-
The beast screamed and flew away, pulling an attached anchor into the water.
-
Launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, Swift remains scientifically valuable, but atmospheric drag has been pulling it dangerously close to Earth.
Verb
-
Start with a glass or fine-grit nail file for shaping without tearing the layers of the nail, and a buffer block to lightly smooth the surface.
-
That’s the only way to navigate explosive change without tearing ourselves apart.
Adjective
-
As part of her job, Angèle needs to daub makeup on the models’ feet, blistered from the torturous heels they’re forced to wear.
-
The film tells the story of Greek hero Odysseus’ long, torturous and fantastical trip home from the Trojan War, back to the Kingdom of Ithaca to save his wife and son.
Noun
-
In a strange twist, the potential buyer reportedly smelled a rat and reached out to someone with the company, to make sure the machinery hadn’t been stolen.
-
Then again, and again, stopping each time to adjust for a beat, a movement, the flow of actors in the room, a twist of a hand, an arm thrown that way, not this way.
Verb
-
These ergonomic neoprene handle wraps provide additional cushioning around the handles of your carry-on or checked suitcase, a dream for tired, achy hands after a day of tugging luggage.
-
But the combatants kept grasping and tugging each other off-balance.
Verb
-
Keep the movement coming from your ribs, rotating, not by yanking your neck.
-
Counsell admitted postgame that yanking Imanaga might not have been the right move.
Cite this Entry
“Wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenching. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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