heartrending
Painfully moving emotionally
Heartrending describes something that causes overwhelming grief or anguish—the kind of sorrow that feels like it might tear you apart: a heartrending goodbye, heartrending images of the famine.
The word applies to things witnessed rather than experienced directly; you watch something heartrending, you don't feel heartrending yourself.
Causing extreme suffering
- gut-wrenchingCausing intense emotional anguish
- harrowingExtremely distressing or disturbing
- wrenchingForceful turning or yanking
- piercingPenetrating or very sharp
crushing · unbearable · devastating · searing · torturous · traumatic · lacerating · overwhelming
Showing concern for sufferers
- sympatheticFeeling others' emotions
- pitifulArousing sorrowful contempt
- piteousArousing sorrowful compassion
- pitiableDeserving sympathetic sorrow
sorrowful · woeful · lamentable · tragic · pathetic · tear-jerking · heart-wrenching
Intense sorrow from loss
- mourningPeriod following loss
- bereavementState following loss
- lossBeing without something
- lamentationPassionate expression of grief
weeping · tears · despair · desolation · misery · woe · suffering · tragedy
excruciating
Causing extreme suffering
- gut-wrenchingCausing intense emotional anguish
- harrowingExtremely distressing or disturbing
- wrenchingForceful turning or yanking
piercing · crushing · unbearable · devastating · searing · torturous · traumatic · lacerating · overwhelming · agonizing
compassionate
Showing concern for sufferers
- sympatheticFeeling others' emotions
- pitifulArousing sorrowful contempt
- piteousArousing sorrowful compassion
pitiable · sorrowful · woeful · lamentable · tragic · pathetic · tear-jerking · heart-wrenching
grief
Intense sorrow from loss
- mourningPeriod following loss
- bereavementState following loss
- lossBeing without something
lamentation · weeping · tears · despair · desolation · misery · woe · suffering · tragedy · grieving
bittersweet
Wistful yet warm
emotional · wistful · nostalgic · tender · plaintive · melancholy · evocative · sentimental · pathos · stirring
heartrendingheartwarming
Evoking tender positive feelings
uplifting · joyful · cheering · heartening · inspiring
heartrendinguninspiring
Failing to excite interest
unimpressive · unremarkable · unmemorable · forgettable · tolerable
heartrendingbearable
Able to be endured
endurable · tolerable · supportable · sufferable · survivable