HEARTRENDING Synonyms: 140 Similar and Opposite Words

heartrending

adjective

ˈhärt-ˌren-diŋ

Definition of heartrending

as in sad

causing unhappiness couldn't bear to see the heartrending photos of victims of the famine

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in painful

hard to accept or bear especially emotionally a heartrending choice between saving his daughter or his son

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in tragic

of a kind to cause great distress heartrending memories of all the terrible crimes he'd committed and was sorry for now

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pathetic

deserving of one's pity the heartrending sight of a starving child holding out his hands for food

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of heartrending In the film’s most heartrending passage, when her odyssey has ended, this little girl, in a moment of quiet grace, sees just that. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Feb. 2026 For Emma, the heartrending decision became clear came the night the police descended on her North Miami neighborhood. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2026 His appearance, stopping them in their tracks, is one of the most heartrending moments of any movie. — John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026 The air was cooler up here, the signage sparing, the views of granite domes and uninterrupted forest vast and heartrending. — Gloria Liu, Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heartrending

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartrending

Adjective

Tuesday's testimony in Media was emotional and sad as the 911 call of the stabbing was played.

— Joe Holden, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
But seeing Mike Love this weekend was a sad one for Beach Boys fans.

— Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of sad

Adjective

His path crosses with Naoko, a Japanese tourist carrying the weight of a painful past, and Ruby, a young child searching for his parents.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Rising financial strains on American workers are forcing them to make painful trade-offs, such as skipping medical care, to make ends meet, new research shows.

— Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of painful

Adjective

Encouragement from his longtime confidante and collaborator helped the comedian write about the loss of his beloved home before Reiner’s tragic killing in December 2025 alongside his wife, Michele, in Brentwood.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Reynolds, a Black disabled man with a limb difference, is given a character of substance that isn’t tragic or inspirational.

— Kristen Lopez, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of tragic

Adjective

There are concerted efforts to ban such devices, but they are still used with depressing frequency.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2026
Sunday’s 31-24 loss to Cincinnati – the latest miserable day during this depressing season - crystallized several issues that general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley must navigate in the days and weeks ahead.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of depressing

Adjective

And now those still left in the battered city along Ukraine's southeastern front face death from hunger or disease as another harsh winter looms, with no agreement in sight for even a humanitarian evacuation.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Despite low winds and little rain, harsh surf continues to wreak havoc along Southern California's coastal communities.

— Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of harsh

Adjective

Neighbors shocked about stabbing Neighbors say Thomas was known to have mental health issues and called the stabbing unfortunate.

— Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
To make matters worse, India’s Supreme Court, another vital democratic institution, has also played an unfortunate role in this train of events.

— Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of unfortunate

Adjective

Measles usually kills two or three people in every 1,000 cases, the WHO says, but the disease can be more deadly in poorer nations because of factors such as malnutrition.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
That receiver sends that poor defender into next week at the pylon.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of poor

Browse Nearby Words

heartlessness

heartrending

hearts

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Heartrending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartrending. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of heartrending

adjective

Example Sentences

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