wracked

verb

past tense of wrack
as in destroyed
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of it's amazing how a raging sea can wrack a seemingly sturdy beachfront home

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wracked The man in black is wracked and choking, mangling the words, eyes dripping. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 And Alan Ruck is pitch perfect as Bueller’s best friend Cameron, a more typical Hughes character who’s wracked with anxiety and self-doubt, but still goes along for the ride. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026 Nick has to work late and misses part of his and Charlie’s anniversary picnic, and although he is wracked with guilt, Charlie isn’t upset. — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026 Taylor Burks, who amassed a significant financial war chest and wracked up endorsements from mid-Missouri politicians, lives in Missouri’s 3rd District, just outside the 5th District’s boundaries. — Jack Harvel july 15, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026 Almost overnight, the team has come to embody an alternative future for a country still wracked by nationalistic politics. — Arminka Helic, Time, 30 June 2026 The collection came about in a time of uncertainty and fear in the immigrant community, Galvan said, as federal immigration enforcement crackdowns wracked the region. — Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026 Kim The call left Kim Grindell disgusted, furious and wracked with guilt. — Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 20 June 2026 The chaos has compounded existing difficulties for poorer or developing economies, many of which were already wracked by public-debt crises that deepened in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wracked
  1. destroyed
  2. ruined
  3. shattered
  4. devastated
  5. wrecked
  6. demolished
  7. smashed
  8. overcame
Verb
  • The fire started in the 2300 block of Pickett Road and destroyed five structures, according to Cal Fire.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Almost 50 homes and other structures have been destroyed so far; there have been several injuries, and one of Tibbetts’s neighbors lost 20 German shepherds.
    — Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroyed
Verb
  • Three winemakers earlier this month filed suit against the owner of Hundred Acre Wines, Jayson Woodbridge, and his company alleging that smoke from the wildfire ruined their harvests, the Press Democrat reported.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Authorities in Napa County have charged a man for allegedly setting the 2025 Pickett Fire near Calistoga, which burned thousands of acres of Wine Country and ruined grape harvests because of the smoke.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruined
Verb
  • Adolf Hitler's army has been shattered, but thousands of Nazi fanatics are prepared to engage in an epic last stand.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The case against the Tates That image of impunity shattered on July 18, when US Marshals arrested the brothers outside a bare-knuckle boxing match in Miami on an extradition request from British authorities.
    — Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of shattered
Verb
  • The flash flood which has devastated settlements in northern Nepal was caused by an earthquake triggering a large landslide which blocked the Bhote Koshi river, according to Nepal’s foreign minister Shishir Khanal.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In season one, Alice (Nicola Walker) is devastated when her best friend Steve (Jemaine Clement) starts dating her 26-year-old daughter Izzy.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of devastated
Verb
  • As more cars wrecked behind the incident, NASCAR was forced to throw the caution flag — freezing the field with Preece in front.
    — Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • But in a case of life imitating art, the show’s entire publicity strategy was inadvertently wrecked by a real-life aristocrat, after reports leaked that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was being eyed for a role in the series.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of wrecked
Verb
  • Meanwhile, as cars replaced horses, streets had to be widened, and several of the city’s many inconvenient hills were flattened—some houses were demolished, but plenty were simply rolled out of the way.
    — Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026
  • His Administration demolished the White House’s East Wing to make way for a ballroom costing hundreds of millions of dollars—a project facing its own legal challenges.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of demolished
Verb
  • Anne Shirley has smashed her slate over Gilbert Blythe’s head.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Archaeologists in Central Europe recently came across an unusual hoard of Bronze Age tools — including a sword that had been deliberately smashed with a powerful blow.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of smashed
Verb
  • Joan Rubinger overcame a catastrophic biking accident that left her paralyzed to become an influential pain-relief specialist helping top-tier athletes get back on the field after acute and chronic injuries.
    — Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Judith Kreeger overcame gender barriers, work challenges and a surprise career.
    — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of overcame

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Cite this Entry

“Wracked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wracked. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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