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
With the gut-wrenching death scene, a comforting dog, the aging flash-forwards and the Heaven-like ending, did the series finale give anyone else Supernatural series finale vibes?
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Charlie Mason, TVLine, 6 Dec. 2024
The company announced several years of delays in constructing its first large-scale commercial plant, leading to a gut-wrenching fall in share price over just a few harrowing trading sessions.
—Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
The Bears suffered another gut-wrenching loss in Week 11, losing to Green Bay at Soldier Field when Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field-goal attempt as time expired got blocked.
—Andrew Seligman and Rob Maaddi, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2024
Each helicopter in the distance, each blood-curdling howl, each suspenseful dose of dissonance serves to intensify the film’s mental burden, creating a gut-wrenching abyss of mounting despair that nods to the era, 1978, when Chile was floundering under the hushed state violence of Augusto Pinochet.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gut-wrenching 
Charlie Mason, TVLine, 6 Dec. 2024
The company announced several years of delays in constructing its first large-scale commercial plant, leading to a gut-wrenching fall in share price over just a few harrowing trading sessions.
—Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
The Bears suffered another gut-wrenching loss in Week 11, losing to Green Bay at Soldier Field when Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field-goal attempt as time expired got blocked.
—Andrew Seligman and Rob Maaddi, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2024
Each helicopter in the distance, each blood-curdling howl, each suspenseful dose of dissonance serves to intensify the film’s mental burden, creating a gut-wrenching abyss of mounting despair that nods to the era, 1978, when Chile was floundering under the hushed state violence of Augusto Pinochet.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gut-wrenching
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gut-wrenching
Adjective
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Police think the gruesome gunshot death is suicide.Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
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Prehistoric Rock Art Sites Created 'Multisensory Experience' For Hunter-Gatherers By Aristos Georgiou Science and Health Reporter 0 A collection of prehistoric human remains has revealed gruesome insights into a brutal massacre that took place more than 4,000 years ago.Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Former detainees at the horrific Saydnaya prison near Damascus said Amer had disappeared in mid-April 2015 after being tortured there.Raja Razek, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
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Eric Gordon was also supposed to provide some secondary ball-handling off the bench in theory, but the soon-to-be 36-year-old is off to a horrific start this season.Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The writing, pacing, and production values are top-notch, and the cast is terrific across the board.Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
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Springsteen’s energy level was off the charts and his vocals were terrific.Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The most shocking moment comes when Contessa accuses Dr. Damon of infidelity and fathering mixed-race children—a claim the other ladies quickly shut down.Shelby Stewart, Essence, 23 Dec. 2024
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On a recent trip to Miami for Art Basel, my fitness tracker clocked over 20,000 steps (a shocking 11 miles in one day).Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In the early hours of New Year's Day 2021 in Canton, Georgia, Morgan Metzer was awakened to a terrifying sight.Michael Loftus, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2024
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The paranormal phenomena spooking Spongebob and Squidward has a mundane explanation, but the entity flickering the lights turns out to be none other than Nosferatu, who reassures them with a terrifying smile; amusingly, Spongebob and Squidward are relieved to see him.Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Today many companies face the formidable challenge of balancing rapid product delivery with uncompromising quality.Wayne Yu, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
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From his playing days, Posey remembers his Giants won with great starting pitching and a formidable bullpen juggled well by manager Bruce Bochy.Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Or maybe the next gen of AI swerves us even deeper into the uncanny valley in yet unknown and frightening ways.Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024
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In the dark winter months, Krampus associations in villages hold parades, playfully frightening onlookers on Krampusnacht by chasing them and hitting them with sticks during a run through the streets.Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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That would be a terrible mistake, the Fienberg brothers argued in a Dec. 17 letter that addressed only Bowers’s federal death sentence.David Mark, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 22 Dec. 2024
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People talk about the terrible twos, but she’s found her foothold in that kind of behavior, and there’s just no reasoning with her.Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 21 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near gut-wrenching
Cite this Entry
“Gut-wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gut-wrenching. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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