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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harrowing
Abigail Lee, Variety, 27 Mar. 2025
While Fenn’s treasure hunt inspired a sense of adventure in many searchers, the documentary also explores the dark side of the quest, which resulted in five deaths, a harrowing stalking case, and a good deal of crushing disappointment.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 27 Mar. 2025
As his teachings take a harrowing turn towards violence, Rena witnesses the transformation of devoted followers into ruthless killers, indoctrinated to carry out brutal acts.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2025
For Moon, who is an immigrant living in the United Kingdom, international travel has always been a harrowing experience.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
Adjective
One of the clips shown was from Season 2, and featured a harrowing reunion between June and her daughter Hannah.
—Abigail Lee, Variety, 27 Mar. 2025
While Fenn’s treasure hunt inspired a sense of adventure in many searchers, the documentary also explores the dark side of the quest, which resulted in five deaths, a harrowing stalking case, and a good deal of crushing disappointment.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 27 Mar. 2025
As his teachings take a harrowing turn towards violence, Rena witnesses the transformation of devoted followers into ruthless killers, indoctrinated to carry out brutal acts.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2025
For Moon, who is an immigrant living in the United Kingdom, international travel has always been a harrowing experience.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harrowing
Adjective
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However, Trump has described his policies as a painful yet necessary step to encourage companies to relocate their operations to the United States.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The overstressed tissue, either along your arch or right next to your heel, can then sustain tiny tears and become irritated, inflamed, and painful.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Donald Trump defended his harsh new tariffs on Saturday Night Live this week — and maybe took a swipe at last week’s musical guest, too.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
5 Apr. 2025
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Never one for details, Trump is now clearly linking the harsh 54% tariffs imposed on China on Tuesday to a TikTok deal.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Pair this struggle with the painstaking awareness that sleep is essential for your daily functioning, and sleep deprivation can quickly become maddening — or even torturous.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
-
But the stubborn Pharaoh continued his torturous ways.—
Holly Rizzuto Palker,
Parents,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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That’s changing this year, as three Democratic governors announced new initiatives aimed at addressing disparities afflicting boys and men.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2025
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One key focus of these efforts should address the deficiencies afflicting the market for biologics, which are medicines made or derived from biological processes.—
Wayne Winegarden,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Everybody else has no choice, really, other than to bring a cruel, narcissistic far-right leader to power.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2025
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Jokes that didn’t land with the squad The kids in Bad Influence say the pranks were the most cruel.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
There are differing accounts of the agonizing dispute as residents and their homeowners association tried to stop the new condo.—
Linda Robertson,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2025
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One in two children under 5 are acutely malnourished; over 537,000 suffer from severe acute malnutrition, a condition that is agonizing, life-threatening and entirely preventable.—
Sarah Ferguson,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection The pressure doing the show was excruciating.—
Mark Seliger,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
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After a bout of excruciating indecision, Bachelor Grant Ellis finally made his choice between Litia and Juliana in the season 29 finale.—
Kristen Baldwin,
EW.com,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The missions became more intense as Japan's outlook grew more dire and the military showcased the sacrifice of the pilots to drum up patriotism and support for the war.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2025
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Next, the authors report that repressive techniques are often effective in suppressing protest in the short run but tend to make resistance more intense in the long term.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harrowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harrowing. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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