heart-wrenching
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of heart-wrenching
First recorded in 1835–40; heart ( def. ) + wrench ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. )
Explanation
If something is terribly sad, it's heart-wrenching. Your best friend might think Romeo and Juliet is ridiculous, but you're not alone if you find the tragic ending absolutely heart-wrenching. Heart-wrenching is a perfect way to describe something that's so sad it feels like your heart has been permanently damaged — wrenched or twisted by grief. You might also call it "heartbreaking" or "heartrending," words that also attempt to capture a sense of despair or sorrow. A heart-wrenching movie leaves you weeping at the end, and the sudden loss of your wonderful dog is heart-wrenching for the whole family.
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
It was not the high, wobbly yowl of a cub, but the pure, heart-wrenching song of a young wolf.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
