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.

Years of harsh austerity measures imposed by international bailouts had been wrenching, Mr. Skouros said, as new construction ground to a standstill.

From New York Times • Sep. 25, 2023

The previous weeks had been wrenching for all sides.

From New York Times • Mar. 18, 2017

The discovery had left them deeply shaken, and the choice to abort had been wrenching enough. But being forced to have her fetus visualized again in the final hours of her pregnancy felt cruel and absurd.

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2012

He knew that all his life he had been wrenching at the frame of life to break it apart.

From Women in Love by Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

All this time I had been wrenching out the hooks from the dresser, and the nails, wherever I could find any, from the walls.

From A Night on the Borders of the Black Forest by Edwards, Amelia Ann Blanford