gut-wrenching
Americanadjective
adjective
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.
Pixar films are known for their gut-wrenching sincerity, speaking to kids with as much candor as they do adults.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
While the market’s volatility has been gut-wrenching, scaling back your stock exposure could be a big mistake.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
Given the gut-wrenching nature of their penalty shootout defeat against Bosnia, it was understandable that many of them couldn't stomach this fixture.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
It’s not “Up”-level gut-wrenching, but the scenes establishing the heartbroken boy’s lingering trauma hit pretty hard.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026
It allows them to possess a reserve of energy for a gut-wrenching, muscle-screaming sprint at the end of a race.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
