1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
a harrowing portrayal of the ravages of war
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harrowing
Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025
Standing in the field in eastern Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, a soldier who serves with Tyson in the 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade recounted harrowing battles in Avdiivka as Russian forces poured in.
—Erin Banco, Anastasiia Malenko, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025
However, charming broadcast journalist Finn is soon revealed to be a narcissist, and Mackenzie’s perfect love story becomes a harrowing nightmare of living in an abusive relationship in plain sight.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2025
Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors
Two days after revealing facial paralysis on the left side of her face in a harrowing video posted as an Instagram Story, former Teen Mom OG star Bristol Palin has come out with a bold new statement about her condition.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for harrowing 
Adjective
But the most harrowing case to date is when MPU must band together in a race to find one of their own.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025
Standing in the field in eastern Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, a soldier who serves with Tyson in the 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade recounted harrowing battles in Avdiivka as Russian forces poured in.
—Erin Banco, Anastasiia Malenko, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025
However, charming broadcast journalist Finn is soon revealed to be a narcissist, and Mackenzie’s perfect love story becomes a harrowing nightmare of living in an abusive relationship in plain sight.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2025
Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors
Two days after revealing facial paralysis on the left side of her face in a harrowing video posted as an Instagram Story, former Teen Mom OG star Bristol Palin has come out with a bold new statement about her condition.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for harrowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harrowing
Adjective
-
An ultimate taboo, disclosing the impulse to kill one's child must be an unthinkably painful admission.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
16 Feb. 2025
-
Watching De Zerbi trying to use a threadbare squad last season was painful at times.—
Andy Naylor,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The delays follow the National Weather Service (NWS) issuing a warning over harsh weather for residents of Huntersville and Gastonia in North Carolina, which is also affecting the Charlotte Douglas Airport.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
16 Feb. 2025
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The protest was not politically motivated, but demonstrations in the country can sometimes lead to political unrest under the harsh regime.—
Brie Stimson,
Fox News,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Even better, these expert tips should make easing into healthier phone habits much more manageable (and way less torturous).—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
19 Jan. 2025
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Fans rushed the floor after OSU secured the upset, a joyous celebration on a campus that’s been through the college realignment wringer, a torturous process that ultimately killed the Beavers’ conference.—
Lindsay Schnell,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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An audacious plan In the mid-1980s, global health agencies were otherwise occupied and heads of state largely overlooked the illness afflicting millions of their citizens.—
Sam Mednick,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Dec. 2024
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The United States now suffers from twin pathologies—one afflicting the health of its citizens and the other the health of its political system.—
Thomas J. Bollyky,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Jan. 2020
Adjective
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Immigrant advocates call those moves cruel and unnecessary.—
Joel Rose,
NPR,
8 Feb. 2025
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The current government’s purposeful misrepresentation and defamation of DEI in such a comprehensively cruel and malicious manner deserves nothing less than personal and communal outrage and resistance.—
Dr. Tony Lux,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The organizers said that choice can save event volunteers an agonizing wait at U.S. Customs.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2025
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The most concrete result of therapy has been Milena’s acknowledgment that childbirth was an agonizing experience; her slow-burning resentment of the ungrateful twins has been building ever since.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Among the caterpillars Walker has studied are puss, or asp, caterpillars, whose stings can be excruciating.—
Ivan Amato,
Scientific American,
30 Jan. 2025
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Like the compulsive twisting of a pencil into a sharpener, Khatami tightens the narrative rope to excruciating effect with a series of ominous foreshadowings.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The price war, sparked by Tesla two years ago, has become so intense that BYD asked its suppliers late last year to deliver hefty price reductions of 10% for the coming year.—
Hassan Tayir,
CNN,
11 Feb. 2025
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With rain that could be intense enough to cause #mudslides.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near harrowing
Cite this Entry
“Harrowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harrowing. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
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