1
as in sad
causing unhappiness
couldn't bear to see the heartrending photos of victims of the famine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
a heartrending choice between saving his daughter or his son
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3
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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4
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heartrending
Mitchell Arens’ cinematography simulates a fugue-like state that mirrors the vortex of grief that pervades through this heartrending film.
—
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 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
The film blends documentary and fiction to tell the dramatic and heartrending story of Mongolian herders Davaasuren Dagvasuren and Otgonzaya Dashzeveg’s difficult decision to leave their homelands after the arrival of a powerful and destructive sandstorm.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2025
After the latest heartrending horse carriage incident, activists and some Big Apple officials renewed their calls to outlaw the industry.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2025
In writing this book, Guralnick earned the trust of Parker’s second wife and widow, Loanne, who fills in some heartrending details.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Aug. 2025
Friedland has drawn upon those experiences for her tender and heartrending debut feature, Familiar Touch.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 20 June 2025
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 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
The film blends documentary and fiction to tell the dramatic and heartrending story of Mongolian herders Davaasuren Dagvasuren and Otgonzaya Dashzeveg’s difficult decision to leave their homelands after the arrival of a powerful and destructive sandstorm.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2025
After the latest heartrending horse carriage incident, activists and some Big Apple officials renewed their calls to outlaw the industry.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2025
In writing this book, Guralnick earned the trust of Parker’s second wife and widow, Loanne, who fills in some heartrending details.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Aug. 2025
Friedland has drawn upon those experiences for her tender and heartrending debut feature, Familiar Touch.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 20 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartrending
Adjective
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Back in the city, Amanda and Ciara go for a walk so that Amanda can hear all about the makeup with West and then tell Ciara the very sad tale of her love story as it was related to their couple’s therapist.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
-
None at all leads to slow, pale, sad-looking growth that limps through the season.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Every labored breath and painful cough is a reminder that their parents did everything right and relied on the immunity of those around them.—
Sarah Marsicek,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The Bruins’ have suffered more dramatically painful losses on home ice in recent memory.—
Stephen Conroy,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Then something tragic takes place.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In 1999, 81 years after the tragic sinking, the crew members of the Tampa were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But as Notes from Underground progresses, his behavior turns from funny to pathetic to downright despicable.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
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Over pinwheeling synths, Mahesh inhabits her narrator’s misplaced longing with gooey, heart-eyed delusion and sweetly pathetic determination.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This level of security is a depressing necessity in modern-day Britain.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
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The movie is simultaneously more depressing than the original and more saccharine, with a repellent amount of affection between characters who should know better.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Accusations were made, lawsuits were filed, harsh words were spoken and feelings were hurt.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
It’s prized for sculpting a high-definition lip that holds up under the harshest red-carpet lighting.—
Micaela English,
Glamour,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Even before the president set off this unfortunate round of gerrymandering, Democratic states such as New York and Illinois were already heavily gerrymandered.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Apr. 2026
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He’s beaten by thugs with a crowbar for an unfortunate outburst, exploited by neighbors in the council estate and arrested, all because people don’t understand Tourette syndrome.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Injuries to key players on the Amazin’s contributed to some poor numbers as well.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
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Although poor students are disproportionately likely to receive special education in New York City, well-off disabled kids are the ones most acutely driving up the budget.—
Marc Novicoff,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heartrending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartrending. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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