gut-wrenching

adjective

gut-wrench·​ing ˈgət-ˌren-chiŋ How to pronounce gut-wrenching (audio)
Synonyms of gut-wrenchingnext
: causing mental or emotional anguish

Examples of gut-wrenching in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
How is this show so funny and so intense and so emotionally gut-wrenching all at once? — Erik Kain, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025 Viewer Reactions The gut-wrenching TikTok video reached over 575,400 views, 212,000 likes and 1,350 comments as of Monday. — David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025 All of them have ended with gut-wrenching shots in the final eight seconds. — Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 17 Mar. 2025 The long-running medical drama will air its midseason premiere on Thursday, picking up after its gut-wrenching Season 21 cliffhanger in the fall. — Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gut-wrenching

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gut-wrenching was in 1972

Rhymes for gut-wrenching

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Browse Nearby Words

gutweed
gut-wrenching
Gutzkow
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Cite this Entry

“Gut-wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gut-wrenching. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

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