as in gruesome
informal
causing great mental or emotional pain
gut-wrenching decisions the novel's gut-wrenching opening scene
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Recent Examples of gut-wrenching
Then, in the final few scenes, a gut-wrenching piece of news is delivered involving Jaja and ICE agents.
—
Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Just last week, after Tommy Fleetwood's gut-wrenching Travelers loss, a viral video showed his wife, Clare, comforting him with a soft smile and warm hug that said more than words.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
The team lost 1-0 in a rematch against the Atlas Lions in the final playoff game, bringing a gut-wrenching campaign to a heartbreaking conclusion.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 21 June 2025
Whatever the reason, the casting adds so much more weight to Night of the Living Dead's gut-wrenching ending.
—James Grebey, Time, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for gut-wrenching
Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Just last week, after Tommy Fleetwood's gut-wrenching Travelers loss, a viral video showed his wife, Clare, comforting him with a soft smile and warm hug that said more than words.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
The team lost 1-0 in a rematch against the Atlas Lions in the final playoff game, bringing a gut-wrenching campaign to a heartbreaking conclusion.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 21 June 2025
Whatever the reason, the casting adds so much more weight to Night of the Living Dead's gut-wrenching ending.
—James Grebey, Time, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for gut-wrenching
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gut-wrenching
Adjective
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But the gruesome truth remains — more than 120 are people are dead, including children.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
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Other all-original haunted houses will include Jason Universe, which takes guests back to the summer camp where, one Friday the 13th, the gruesome legend was born.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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But the first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation in the aftermath of this really horrific and deadly flood.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
11 July 2025
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California homeowner’s insurance premiums were already rising before the horrific Southern California wildfires in January.—
Scott Cohn,
CNBC,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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The Packers failed to build on their terrific finish to the 2023 campaign, settled for the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs, and lost a Wild Card game to eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
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Smartphone Deals An ultra-bright screen, terrific build quality, and powerful AI tools made the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL a winner in our book, and our expert gave it an excellent rating in our review.—
Jade Chung-Lee,
PC Magazine,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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All those TikToks sharing the most important news of the week, or the Instagram influencers reacting to a shocking headline, or the YouTubers making video essays analyzing current events — all of these could not exist without the labor and specialized knowledge of journalists.—
Reia Li,
AZCentral.com,
9 July 2025
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In addition to all the shocking Prime Day finds on sale now, J.Crew Factory is stepping up and dropping prices.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
People.com,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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For Bertram, whose family winery has roots deep in the terraced vineyards of the valley, the night was a blur of frantic decisions and terrifying uncertainty.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
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But this is still grand blockbuster filmmaking: The scene where bombs explode across Gotham is as memorable and terrifying as anything in the series.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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In short, because the Ukrainians have put up a formidable defense.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
9 July 2025
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Williams, 62, previously headed Apple's formidable operations division, which is in charge of manufacturing millions of complicated devices like iPhones, while keeping costs down.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Moreover, if their environment is unpredictable, frightening, or volatile, some children learn that any disagreement could lead to danger and try to bury their feelings to avoid conflict and maintain a sense of peace.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Parents,
7 July 2025
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The great outdoors can be a big and frightening place, especially for cats who have only seen it from the safety of the great indoors.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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Vegas bounced back from a terrible loss to the Fever with an 86-68 win over the Sun on Sunday.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
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And because of that, it’s shielded us from the terrible things that happen downstream in the supply chain.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gut-wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gut-wrenching. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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