as in gruesome
informal
causing great mental or emotional pain
gut-wrenching decisions the novel's gut-wrenching opening scene
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gut-wrenching
The personal nature embedded in the gut-wrenching songs is undeniable, particularly through the lens of his divorce from Sara Lownds.
—
Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 25 Dec. 2024
The week before the 2024 election, a gut-wrenching advertisement created by a progressive campaign fund went viral.
—Christen Hammock Jones / Made By History, TIME, 9 Dec. 2024
On Saturday, the franchise had to make another gut-wrenching injury announcement.
—Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Dec. 2024
But looking to bounce back from the sting of a gut-wrenching loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, the Lakers (13-11) took care of business, beating the Blazers 107-98 to end their three-game losing streak.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 8 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gut-wrenching 
Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 25 Dec. 2024
The week before the 2024 election, a gut-wrenching advertisement created by a progressive campaign fund went viral.
—Christen Hammock Jones / Made By History, TIME, 9 Dec. 2024
On Saturday, the franchise had to make another gut-wrenching injury announcement.
—Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Dec. 2024
But looking to bounce back from the sting of a gut-wrenching loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, the Lakers (13-11) took care of business, beating the Blazers 107-98 to end their three-game losing streak.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 8 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gut-wrenching
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gut-wrenching
Adjective
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Ten people were murdered in the New York City subway system last year — including the recent, random and gruesome immolation of a homeless New Jersey woman asleep on a Brooklyn train — up from five murders in 2023.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
16 Jan. 2025
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Did Hawthorne base these characters on the Rev. Ephraim Avery and his young congregant Sarah Maria Cornell, whose gruesome death in 1832 in Fall River, 50 miles south of Boston, shocked all of New England?—
Liesl Schillinger,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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One measure passed also looks for long-term recovery plans, referring to work from Santa Rosa and Maui, which have also experienced similar horrific tragedies recently.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
15 Jan. 2025
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And like the residents of the City of Angels, they are effected by the horrific fires which have suddenly engulfed the area.—
Tribune Content Agency,
The Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Both specific in its intent and mischievously opaque in its execution, this wilfully strange art project can switch from flip to serious in the blink of an eye, using a terrific cast to weave a trance-like state of oddness that somehow sustains to the finishing line.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2025
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This model has been a terrific success for decades and should be used with UAPs.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But for one couple, their big day was nearly derailed by a shocking incident involving an uninvited guest.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
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With Williamson’s incredible start to his career and the shocking turns it’s taken since, The Athletic’s Will Guillory and Christian Clark discussed their times covering Williamson as members of the New Orleans media.—
William Guillory,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Cumberbatch, in a few moments, expresses the depth of this father’s agony, the terrifying chasm of it.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2025
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Six episodes centre on a variety of different dinosaurs, from terrifying carnivores to docile herbivores.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Despite this, in 1980, in a turning point that helped give rise to the formidable power of the New Right, Reagan continued to lean heavily on the Panama issue in his successful campaign against Carter.—
Julie Greene / Made by History,
TIME,
22 Jan. 2025
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When Judkins’ 70-yard run set up his 1-yard scoring run for a 28-7 lead, Leonard and the Fighting Irish faced a formidable deficit that couldn’t be addressed on more quarterback keepers.—
Charles Odum,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Listen to this article California’s blazing wildfires and last year’s destructive hurricanes in the Southeast are frightening examples of the dramatic impacts of climate change.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jan. 2025
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Coming full circle, the FBI also warned users to beware this frightening new threat in a special advisory last month.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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While this is terrible for the environment, customer satisfaction, and retailers’ bottom lines, the truth is the industry has created a monster and easy and free returns have become the basic consumer expectation.—
Steve Dennis,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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Gerulaitis’s gallows humour deflects from the fact that his terrible records against Connors and Borg took a big toll on his confidence.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
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 30 Jan. 2025.
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