heart-rending

A form of heartrending — That causes great grief, anguish or distress.

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Meanings

adjectiveheart-rending (comparative more heart-rending, superlative most heart-rending)

comparative more heart-rending · superlative most heart-rending

  1. alternativeAlternative form of heartrending.
    1 more example

    With much delicacy, avoiding to instance in her self-experience, she told me, that so long ago as when she used to play the part of the Little Son to Mrs. Porter’s Isabella, (I think it was) when that impressive actress has been bending over her in some heart-rending colloquy, she has felt real hot tears come trickling from her, which (to use her powerful expression) have perfectly scalded her back.

    1833, Elia [pseudonym; Charles Lamb], “Barbara S⁠——”, in The Last Essays of Elia. […], London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 117

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
heart-splitting

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with heart-rending

endingsendingspendingpendingattendingdescendingascendingdefendingblendingoffendingimpendingintendingcondescendingunbendinguncomprehendingantispendingdetrendingnonendingunpretending
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

heart-rending. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heart-rending

MLA

“heart-rending.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heart-rending. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heart-rending,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heart-rending.

Source: heart-rending on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.