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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gut-wrenching
Adjective
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Thoughtful, but gruesome is an apt descriptor for the film as well.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
5 Apr. 2025
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This was true of Fury (2015) as well, his brutal and gruesome war drama featuring Brad Pitt as a tank commander in the final days of World War II leading a platoon of hardened, traumatized, broken soldiers.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Viscerally horrific, conceptually mindblowing, achingly humane.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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With that horrific risk in mind, the crew hatches a new plan.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Ovechkin is easy to like, though, by all accounts a terrific teammate.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2025
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Just when Kenin looked set to push the contest into a decider, Pegula saved three set points and won six consecutive games to mount a terrific fightback and clinch victory.—
Manasi Pathak,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Leaders around the world have responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s shocking new tariffs that threaten to upend the global economy with stern words and denunciations.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
4 Apr. 2025
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The couple shared their shocking experience in a now-viral TikTok video, warning others about the dangers of unsafe food handling.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Back in August, Renner spoke about how his terrifying snowplow accident in January 2023 led to his daughter becoming a little more independent.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Prehistoric insects encased in amber reveal a terrifying evolutionary road that dead-ended sometime after the mid-Cretaceous period.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Her and Taylor Jones are as formidable of a frontcourt duo as any in the nation.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
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Connecticut’s offense is formidable, but its defense is suspect.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In the episode, O'Dowd and Jones play Mike and Amanda, respectively, a couple living a happy and simple life until Amanda suffers a frightening medical emergency and passes out.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
11 Apr. 2025
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Memphis Grizzlies rookie guard Jaylen Wells broke his right wrist after a frightening fall in Tuesday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The rhetoric pushed here is that someone with a high body count has less value and will either make a terrible partner or no one will want them in the first place.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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The domestic box office is presently in a terrible state, and Minecraft could prove to be the shot of confidence Hollywood studios and cinema owners need after recent films, including Disney’s Snow White, have turned into major disappointments.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gut-wrenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gut-wrenching. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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