Heart-wrenching Definition & Meaning

  • Definition
  • Other Word Forms
  • Etymology
  • Examples
  • Related Words
  • Synonyms heart-wrenching American [hahrt ren-ching] / ˈhɑrt ˈrɛn tʃɪŋ /

    adjective

    1. causing or involving great sadness or distress; heartbreaking.

      The accounts of their persecution are heart-wrenching.

    Other Word Forms

    • heart-wrenchingly adverb

    Etymology

    Origin of heart-wrenching

    First recorded in 1835–40; heart ( def. ) + wrench ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. )

    Example Sentences

    Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

    It was not the high, wobbly yowl of a cub, but the pure, heart-wrenching song of a young wolf.

    From Literature

    News of the dingoes' euthanisation was "heart-wrenching", he told Australian media, adding however that he recognised it may be necessary for safety because of the pack's behaviour.

    From Barron's

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    Time and again, Ann’s hope is met with heart-wrenching pain, and to hear Seyfried’s angelic voice laced with her character’s despair is quite unlike anything I have ever experienced watching a film, musical or otherwise.

    From Salon

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    Alzheimer’s, like many progressive diseases, is, by turns, heart-wrenching, demoralizing and draining.

    From The Wall Street Journal

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    "It has quite a bit of sentimental value to me, so yes it is heart-wrenching," he said.

    From BBC

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    Related Words

    • agonizing
    • distressing
    • gut-wrenching
    • harrowing
    • heartbreaking
    • heartrending
    • painful
    • piteous
    • sorrowful
    • tormenting

    Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

    Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

    Tag » When The World My Heart Is Rending