Also spelled heart-rendingly
adj
Freq #86649
Meanings
-
1
adj
causing intense grief, distress, or sympathy
Her heartrending sobs could be heard from the next room.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
More
moving
Opposites
Word family
Forms
heartrendingly
Derived forms
heartrendingly
Related forms
heart-rendingheartbreak
Etymology
A compound of heart and rending, from rend, 'to tear apart.' The image of tearing the heart expresses extreme emotional pain. Heart-rending is a common alternative spelling.