wrenching 1 of 3

wrenching

2 of 3

noun

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

wrenching

3 of 3

verb

present participle of wrench

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wrenching
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
  • Their injuries are stomach-turning, their cries agonizing.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
  • In the agonizing time since, he’s endured a regimen of demanding physical therapy, and even stem-cell injections.
    David Browne, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • An executive order, delivered Friday, cites national security concerns for pulling the deal.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Advertisement The lawsuit comes as insurers have been pulling back from California’s home insurance market en masse, often citing the risk of catastrophic events brought on by climate change.
    Andrea Chang, 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
  • Pair this struggle with the painstaking awareness that sleep is essential for your daily functioning, and sleep deprivation can quickly become maddening — or even torturous.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • But the stubborn Pharaoh continued his torturous ways.
    Holly Rizzuto Palker, Parents, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • For example, the sun’s gravity tugs harder on the moon than Earth’s does!
    Phil Plait, Scientific American, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Aviles was slapped with a red card after a tackle in the penalty area and a shirt tug that was deemed a denial of a scoring chance for New York.
    Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection The pressure doing the show was excruciating.
    Mark Seliger, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
  • After a bout of excruciating indecision, Bachelor Grant Ellis finally made his choice between Litia and Juliana in the season 29 finale.
    Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 25 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The final decisive twist in this most enthralling of promotion races?
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
  • The knot on the front and the open rounded toe pay homage to your quintessential dress shoes, but the platform profile and wraparound ankle strap add an edgy twist.
    Nina Derwin, Glamour, 17 Apr. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenching. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

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