Synonyms

heart-wrenching

American

[hahrt ren-ching] / ˈhɑrt ˈrɛn tʃɪŋ /

adjective

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.

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 • Jan. 28, 2026

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 • Dec. 27, 2025

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 22, 2025

Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked: For Good” “The win could go to Jessie Buckley for her heart-wrenching mother in ‘Hamnet.’

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2025

And the biggest, most heart-wrenching question of all: If the long-lost Lumleys were alive and well, then where, oh where, had they been all these years?

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

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