harrowing
adjective
har·row·ing
ˈher-ə-wiŋ 
ˈha-rə-
: acutely distressing or painful
a harrowing experience
Mr. Wu's work in a coal mine was particularly harrowing.—
Charles Horner
Charles Horner
harrowingly
adverb
Examples of harrowing in a Sentence
a harrowing portrayal of the ravages of war
the harrowing amputations without any anesthetic that soldiers and sailors once were forced to endure
Recent Examples on the Web
But that could be because of the blaster stun from his Star Wars experience, which proved harrowing.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
Now, a harrowing new three-part Hulu docuseries called Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, premiering Feb. 27, unpacks the events leading up to both women’s arrests.
—Rachel Brodsky, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
The end of their relationship came after a harrowing incident involving a gun that Tarek finally explained years later in his 2024 memoir, Flip Your Life.
—Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
The snack food company founded and led by Denise Woodard grew out of her own harrowing experience with a daughter’s food allergy reaction, leading Woodard to come up with the idea to create snacks without any of the top nine food allergens, which are responsible for 90% of allergic reactions.
—Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
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James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
Now, a harrowing new three-part Hulu docuseries called Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, premiering Feb. 27, unpacks the events leading up to both women’s arrests.
—Rachel Brodsky, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
The end of their relationship came after a harrowing incident involving a gun that Tarek finally explained years later in his 2024 memoir, Flip Your Life.
—Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
The snack food company founded and led by Denise Woodard grew out of her own harrowing experience with a daughter’s food allergy reaction, leading Woodard to come up with the idea to create snacks without any of the top nine food allergens, which are responsible for 90% of allergic reactions.
—Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
Cite this Entry
“Harrowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harrowing. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
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