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

harrowingly adverb

Synonyms of harrowing

• painful
• harsh
• cruel
• torturous

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

The harrowing search for the surviving skiers would have started with those who were not buried taking stock of who was swept away, Rice said. —Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026

Multiple state and local authorities responded to the harrowing scene of a New York Department of Transportation plow truck overturned by the extreme winter weather in Bay Shore, New York, last night. —Phil Helsel, NBC news, 23 Feb. 2026

And modern life—complete with an affordable-housing shortage, a harrowing job market, and collapsing social trust—doesn’t make growing up any easier. —Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026

Permission to grieve on our own terms, in our own time frames, is essential to the often messy, confusing, and harrowing process. —Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of harrow entry 3

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for harrowing

• narrowing