heart-wrenching

/ˈhɑːt rentʃɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɑːrt rentʃɪŋ/ (ame, ipa)

heart-wrenching — 形容詞

1. describes a story, image, or moment that fills you with deep sadness or pity, of

1.形容詞C1
釋義

令人心碎的

令人感到極度悲傷或不忍的

describes a story, image, or moment that fills you with deep sadness or pity, often making it painful to watch, read, or hear about — for example, news footage of a family separated by war, or a goodbye scene at a hospital.

例句

Aoi watched the heart-wrenching news report about the orphaned puppies in silence.

Aoi 默默地看著那則令人心碎的新聞報導，內容是關於那些失去母親的小狗。

attributive: heart-wrenching + [news / story / footage]

It was heart-wrenching to see Amira say goodbye to her grandmother at the train station.

看著 Amira 在火車站與奶奶道別，真的令人心碎。

predicative pattern: 'it was heart-wrenching to + infinitive'

同義詞
  • heartbreaking

    near-synonym; slightly more common in everyday speech

  • harrowing

    stronger; suggests prolonged distress, often of traumatic events

  • poignant

    milder and more literary; emphasises tender sadness rather than acute pain

  • moving

    broader; can be sad OR uplifting, while heart-wrenching is only sad

反義詞
  • heartwarming

    opposite emotional charge — causes warm, happy feelings instead of pain

  • uplifting

    raises spirits rather than causing sadness

用法筆記

Almost always describes things that depict suffering (stories, films, photos, scenes, accounts), not the suffering itself. You can talk about a heart-wrenching photo of a refugee but not a heart-wrenching wound. Common in both attributive ('a heart-wrenching scene') and predicative ('it was heart-wrenching to watch') positions.

常見錯誤

❌He felt heart-wrenching after his dog died.
✅It was heart-wrenching for him after his dog died.
💡the word describes what causes the sadness, not the person feeling it.
❌a heart-wrenching pain in my chest
✅a sharp pain in my chest
💡heart-wrenching refers to emotional, not physical, distress.