Wrested

Wrested is the past tense and past participle of the verb wrest. It denotes the act of pulling something away by force or with difficulty, or of obtaining something through effort or manipulation. It can also refer to twisting or distorting something, such as an argument or a fact, in order to gain an advantage.

Etymology and sense development: the word comes from Old English wræstan, meaning to twist or wrench. The modern senses retain the core idea of force, effort, or deliberate manipulation, whether applied to physical objects or to abstract things like power, control, or information.

Usage and nuance: in literal usage, wrested describes a forcible removal or extraction, for example, “they wrested the flag from the defenders” or “the dam was wrested free from the riverbank by the storm.” In figurative use, it often conveys a struggle or contest to take or obtain something, as in “the opposition wrested control from the ruling party” or “the investigator wrested a confession from the suspect.” The term is more formal and implies significant difficulty or coercion.

Collocations and distinctions: common phrases include wrest control from someone, wrest power from a regime, or wrest a confession from a suspect. It is distinct from wrestle, which refers to physical combat or struggle in a broad sense; wrest is more about forcibly pulling or extracting, while wrestle emphasizes the act of contending.

See also: related verbs include wrench, extract, seize, and pry.