heartrending

[ hahrt-ren-ding ]

See synonyms for heartrending on Thesaurus.com

adjective

causing or expressing intense grief, anguish, or distress.

Origin of heartrending

First recorded in 1680–90; heart + rending

Other words from heartrending

heart·rend·ing·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with heartrending

gut-wrenching, heartrending

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use heartrending in a sentence

Laurie Metcalf gave a heart-rending portrayal of a businesswoman suffering from early dementia in The Other Place.
Who’ll Win a 2013 Tony Award—and Who Deserves To | Janice Kaplan | June 6, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
About 1.7 million viewers tuned in to the heart-rending drama.
The Mistakes We Make | Megan McArdle | October 24, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The News From Spain By Joan Wickersham Seven heart-rending love stories only peripherally about Spain.
This Week’s Hot Reads, Sept. 24, 2012: David Denby, Alex Witchel & More | Mythili Rao | September 24, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Oscar winner Susan Sarandon delivers a brilliant, heart-rending performance in the delightful dramedy Jeff, Who Lives at Home.
Susan Sarandon on ‘Jeff, Who Lives at Home,’ Limbaugh, the GOP, Tim Robbins, and More | Marlow Stern | March 16, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
They contain some of the most exquisite, heart-rending, and thought-provoking writing I have come across.
A Literary Tribute | Roxanne Coady | September 10, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST

The most heart-rending events connected with these disasters occurred everywhere throughout the country.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. | E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
The wailings of the damned can never be more heart-rending, as they were driven out, crying, 'O Lord!
The Boys of '61 | Charles Carleton Coffin.
This mad, sad, heart-rending, adventure must have driven him to insanity.
The Ghost Breaker | Charles Goddard
With the morning light the scene of destruction presented to the eyes of the survivors was truly heart-rending.
Hurricane Hurry | W.H.G. Kingston
It is heart-rending to look at a picture such as this; it is sad to think of it and to write about it.
The Civil War Through the Camera | Henry W. (Henry William) Elson

British Dictionary definitions for heart-rending

heart-rending

adjective

causing great mental pain and sorrow

Derived forms of heart-rending

heart-rendingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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