1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
a harrowing portrayal of the ravages of war
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2
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
the harrowing amputations without any anesthetic that soldiers and sailors once were forced to endure
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to
the villagers were gaunt and sickly, harrowed by years of disease and starvation
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Recent Examples of harrowing
Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
His role, as a flawed genius who suffers for his art but is undone by his hubris, his drug addiction and the cutoff of his wealthy employer’s patronage, is harrowing.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024
Before the verdict, Yak Gotti faced a harrowing situation while incarcerated in Fulton County Jail.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 4 Dec. 2024
Beginning in 2020, Amy Grant has endured a harrowing list of health issues, including open-heart surgery, a brain injury, throat surgery and shoulder surgery.
—Nancy Kruh, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for harrowing 
Adjective
The company announced several years of delays in constructing its first large-scale commercial plant, leading to a gut-wrenching fall in share price over just a few harrowing trading sessions.
—Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
His role, as a flawed genius who suffers for his art but is undone by his hubris, his drug addiction and the cutoff of his wealthy employer’s patronage, is harrowing.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024
Before the verdict, Yak Gotti faced a harrowing situation while incarcerated in Fulton County Jail.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 4 Dec. 2024
Beginning in 2020, Amy Grant has endured a harrowing list of health issues, including open-heart surgery, a brain injury, throat surgery and shoulder surgery.
—Nancy Kruh, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for harrowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harrowing
Adjective
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Being apart from them was a painful sacrifice, but the promise of Canadian residency for her and eventually her children seemed worth it.Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
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Survivor: Thailand The fake merge and brutal last challenge — where the final three had to hold coins between their fingers in a crazy painful pose — keep this dud out of the bottom spot.Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The corps’ push for additional benefits coincided with a harsh realization for the British Army: For white men, service in the West Indies was viewed as a death sentence due to the high risk of disease.Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
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With his latest project, he’s found a balance between the harsher realities of the real world, and his own playful spirit.Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The two halves of this character combine in a captivating performance for which Goggins was happy to endure a torturous prosthetic.Ryan Fleming, Deadline, 13 June 2024
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According to the political scientist Pierre Englebert, the Congolese government and people lose as much as $4 billion in revenue every year due to state agents’ manipulation of mining contracts and payments, torturous budget practices, and outright theft.Stephen R. Weissman, Foreign Affairs, 8 June 2015
Verb
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Maylia and Jack are both kids, two of the untold number of minors caught up in one side or the other of the burgeoning fentanyl trade afflicting the US.Longreads, Longreads, 4 Oct. 2024
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Whatever's afflicting you out there, in here the coffee is always hot, the fries are always crispy and the ranch dip is always free.Tyler Buchanan, Axios, 18 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Snape is the cruel but complex potions master at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, played by Alan Rickman in all seven Harry Potter films.Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
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The season two scoop: A cruel winter brings new challenges and unfinished business to Jacob (Ford) and Cara (Mirren) back at Dutton ranch.Marc Berman, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But even in the worst cases of lupus, the decline—though agonizing—is much slower.ByJennifer Couzin-Frankel, science.org, 14 Nov. 2024
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For people who were close to Cliff Lambert, the still-unresolved legal saga surrounding his brutal killing more than a decade ago has been agonizing.Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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None of the series is easy to watch, but the fourth episode — in which the 36-year-old comedian takes a multi-day road trip with his estranged father, Joe — is both excruciating and intensely moving.EW Staff, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
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After suffering four excruciating defeats to begin its first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Cal could have been swallowed up by deja vu when Wake Forest fought back to trail just 39-36 midway through the fourth quarter on Friday night.Jeff Faraudo, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The warm front is a sharp contrast to the close of last week when an arctic surge swept across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with snow squalls, whiteouts and intense bursts of wind that left 20 million Americans under winter weather warnings or advisories.Susan Miller, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2024
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Becoming a professor requires years and years of intense study, often carried out in isolation and poverty.Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near harrowing
Cite this Entry
“Harrowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harrowing. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
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