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
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Recent Examples of wrenching
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
Kaveh Akbar pulls these seemingly disparate characters closer together in a wrenching narrative that is both a multi-generational family saga and a portrait of a young man attempting to make sense of life.
—Annabel Gutterman, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
With the gut-wrenching death scene, a comforting dog, the aging flash-forwards and the Heaven-like ending, did the series finale give anyone else Supernatural series finale vibes?
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 6 Dec. 2024
The company announced several years of delays in constructing its first large-scale commercial plant, leading to a gut-wrenching fall in share price over just a few harrowing trading sessions.
—Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
The Bears suffered another gut-wrenching loss in Week 11, losing to Green Bay at Soldier Field when Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field-goal attempt as time expired got blocked.
—Andrew Seligman and Rob Maaddi, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2024
Verb
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
Kaveh Akbar pulls these seemingly disparate characters closer together in a wrenching narrative that is both a multi-generational family saga and a portrait of a young man attempting to make sense of life.
—Annabel Gutterman, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
With the gut-wrenching death scene, a comforting dog, the aging flash-forwards and the Heaven-like ending, did the series finale give anyone else Supernatural series finale vibes?
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 6 Dec. 2024
The company announced several years of delays in constructing its first large-scale commercial plant, leading to a gut-wrenching fall in share price over just a few harrowing trading sessions.
—Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
The Bears suffered another gut-wrenching loss in Week 11, losing to Green Bay at Soldier Field when Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field-goal attempt as time expired got blocked.
—Andrew Seligman and Rob Maaddi, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenching
Adjective
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This was spelled out by the 13th and 14th Five-Year Plans, which also conceded that such reform would be agonizing.Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
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For too many of us, the death penalty has only prolonged an already agonizing experience with a lengthy process that leaves us with more pain, despair, and isolation.Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
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If the first matchup in 2017 felt like a battle of two unknowns and the second in 2019 felt like Georgia making The Leap while Notre Dame was trying to keep up but not quite pulling it off, what does the third game feel like to you?Seth Emerson, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024
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But Schwartz has a way of pulling people in.Leila Jordan, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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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
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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
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His other contributions of 7, 5, 11 and 3 have been hard to watch for their torturous uncertainty.Tim Ellis, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
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Frantic searches for gas and plywood, relentless debates over staying or going, and the torturous uncertainty of a wobbly track came down to one moment Wednesday night: Landfall.Kathryn Varn, Axios, 10 Oct. 2024
Noun
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But to get there, the spacecraft has taken a spiraling route through the inner solar system, using the gravitational tug of Earth (once), Venus (twice), and Mercury (six times) to get itself on the right course at the right speed to end up in orbit around Mercury.Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2024
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The melting occurred as the moon was moving away from the Earth, the authors say, when the planet’s constant gravitational tugs warped the moon in a way that caused it to super-heat.Denise Chow, NBC News, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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This has been an excruciating season for the Browns, their coach, and especially for Winston, the backup quarterback to starter Deshaun Watson, who has missed most of the season with a torn Achilles tendon.Jim Ingraham, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
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Ewing’s left foot was so badly injured that putting any pressure on it caused excruciating pain, even a year later.Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Since making her first appearance alongside the British royal family to attend the traditional Christmas Day service at Sandringham in 2011, Kate Middleton has always brought elegant fashion with a festive twist to the event.Liam Hess, Vogue, 25 Dec. 2024
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Spanx put its cozy twist on the classic sweater dress silhouette with its oh-so-soft AirEssentials Fabric, creating an almost sweatshirt-like comfort.Katy Spratte Joyce, Travel + Leisure, 25 Dec. 2024
Verb
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When children swallow more than one separate magnet, the magnets will try to attach by ripping through internal organs.Ryan Murphy, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Dec. 2024
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High-End Blenders High-end blenders can be powerhouses, ripping through ice, frozen fruit, and other solid ingredients to create the smoothest soups, smoothies, and sauces in seconds.Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 23 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near wrenching
Cite this Entry
“Wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenching. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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