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
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Recent Examples of wrenching
Literary Hub, 6 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
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
Jim Reineking, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
In the heart-wrenching video posted on social media, Savannah Guthrie acknowledged hearing media reports about a ransom letter sent to multiple news outlets.
—Jacques Billeaud, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
The gut-wrenching video posted to Instagram Wednesday evening is one way the Guthrie family can humanize their mother in the eyes of kidnappers, according to CNN’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, John Miller.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
In the short term, the sudden announcement is yet another twist in a wrenching narrative for makers and lovers of the arts across the Washington region and around the country.
—E. Andrew Taylor, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Equally, industry discussions at Göteborg did not skirt the large challenges facing the Nordics, often shared by the global industry at large at a time of wrenching industry disruption.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
As parents determined to maintain a strong front, Astrit Kabashi and Flonja Kodheli give performances of exquisite understatement in a quietly wrenching story of dwindling hope and mounting tension.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 31 Jan. 2026
Neither the team nor its superstar wants to be viewed as the bad guy, the catalyst for what will be a wrenching deal for the franchise, no matter what package of players and picks Milwaukee gets in return.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Her hollow eyes and unflinching face lend Ju-Ju a gut-wrenching passivity and naivete.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Vietnam was inextricably linked to a wrenching era in American history, as Blacks were being compelled to fight a war on two fronts—for equality at home and a nation’s hubris abroad.
—Literary Hub, 6 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
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
But the Seahawks and their passionate fans will take it; this title represents Seattle's second Super Bowl triumph and exacts a measure of revenge for the heart-wrenching, last-second defeat in Super Bowl 49.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
In the heart-wrenching video posted on social media, Savannah Guthrie acknowledged hearing media reports about a ransom letter sent to multiple news outlets.
—Jacques Billeaud, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
The gut-wrenching video posted to Instagram Wednesday evening is one way the Guthrie family can humanize their mother in the eyes of kidnappers, according to CNN’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, John Miller.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
In the short term, the sudden announcement is yet another twist in a wrenching narrative for makers and lovers of the arts across the Washington region and around the country.
—E. Andrew Taylor, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Equally, industry discussions at Göteborg did not skirt the large challenges facing the Nordics, often shared by the global industry at large at a time of wrenching industry disruption.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
As parents determined to maintain a strong front, Astrit Kabashi and Flonja Kodheli give performances of exquisite understatement in a quietly wrenching story of dwindling hope and mounting tension.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 31 Jan. 2026
Neither the team nor its superstar wants to be viewed as the bad guy, the catalyst for what will be a wrenching deal for the franchise, no matter what package of players and picks Milwaukee gets in return.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Her hollow eyes and unflinching face lend Ju-Ju a gut-wrenching passivity and naivete.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenching
Adjective
-
After an agonizing two and a half weeks of waiting, of back and forth, of praying, at the very last minute the judge finally gave her ruling in favor of TPS for Haiti.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
For those wearing the putative target on their back, this can surely be agonizing.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
After that setback, the Seahawks lost their edge to stay ahead of a league designed to keep pulling teams toward the middle.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Yet the final also required Vonn to push her knee further than in either of her two training runs, when she could be seen pulling back around some turns so as not to exert too much strain before the main event.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Three weeks after tearing her ACL, Italian downhiller Sofia Goggia won a World Cup race in 2022.—
Outside,
Outside,
4 Feb. 2026
-
What if the Celtics won a ring without Jayson Tatum, who could still come back this season after tearing his Achilles tendon in last year’s playoffs?—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
These individually wrapped peanut butter and oat bites are a suitable lunch box treat, or fuel for people who take long bike rides and other torturous endurance sports.—
Alex Beggs,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The many comparisons the researchers tested show a torturous pathway to a significant finding.—
Eleanor M. Perfetto,
STAT,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The games in previous years consisted of events like precision passing competitions, spectacular catch competitions, dodgeball games, tug of war bouts and relay races.—
Sam Warren,
Houston Chronicle,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Even as home priorities tug, warmth and patience keep everyone on your side through this shift.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Check their progress by gently tugging on the cutting to see if there’s any resistance.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The result is many annoyed fan owners tugging vigorously on the chain, only to have their fan suddenly turn into an in-home airplane propeller.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Hotel video footage showed the pair forcing entry into the hotel by yanking on a lobby door and breaking the lock.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The yellow bucket of a heavy construction excavator crashed down onto the roof of the vacant home at Parade Park, yanking it into a heap of split plaster and lumber.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The descriptions of slavery are excruciating.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Instead, viewers were faced with one of the more excruciating scenes in recent sports memory as Vonn’s body went limp while rounding one of the course’s first gates.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenching. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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