gut-wrenching

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Davidson described the emergence of a tic as a "gut-wrenching feeling in the middle of your stomach which slowly rises to your chest".

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

It’s not “Up”-level gut-wrenching, but the scenes establishing the heartbroken boy’s lingering trauma hit pretty hard.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

That hasn’t happened since World War II. It took a famously gut-wrenching recession to wring out the last bout of high inflation from the economy in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 14, 2026

Nikola Jokic suffered a "gut-wrenching" knee injury as the Denver Nuggets crashed to a heavy 147-123 defeat against the Miami Heat in the NBA on Monday.

From Barron's • Dec. 30, 2025

The first thing I remember about being a person living in Little Rock, Arkansas, during the 1940s is the gut-wrenching fear in my heart and in my tummy that I was in danger.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals