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
Synonyms
Examples of harrowing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Continue reading here… ‘ALARMING’ - 'Friends' guest star Olivia Williams details 'harrowing' experience while on hit sitcom in 1998.
—Fox News Staff, Fox News, 20 Apr. 2024
Traversing a Colorado mountain pass during a storm in the dead of winter is a harrowing experience.
—Jacob Spetzler, The Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2024
The Harts’ murder-suicide is the most harrowing of the incidents that Banks fictionalizes, and the one readers are most likely to remember and be troubled by, even before encountering his haunting version.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
These women’s harrowing stories are startling reminders that Black women are still in the midst of a global maternal health crisis that has not improved.
—Jasmine Elise, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024
When the first trailer for Alex Garland’s new movie, Civil War—a harrowing depiction of conflict between American states in the near future—was revealed, a wave of bafflement spread across the internet.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024
In his third feature in as many years — this one was selected as Macedonia’s Oscar entry for international feature — the filmmaker plunges us into a swirling eddy of merry but harrowing chaos among an unusual family.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
After a particularly harrowing setback to his mission in The Fallout, the new series from Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy (Westworld), a bounty hunter known as The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) makes the executive decision to change course entirely.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
The harrowing crime — and the winding investigation, which led to a shocking suspect — is the focus of Netflix’s upcoming documentary What Jennifer Did, premiering Wednesday, April 10.
—Corin Cesaric, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Fox News Staff, Fox News, 20 Apr. 2024
Traversing a Colorado mountain pass during a storm in the dead of winter is a harrowing experience.
—Jacob Spetzler, The Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2024
The Harts’ murder-suicide is the most harrowing of the incidents that Banks fictionalizes, and the one readers are most likely to remember and be troubled by, even before encountering his haunting version.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
These women’s harrowing stories are startling reminders that Black women are still in the midst of a global maternal health crisis that has not improved.
—Jasmine Elise, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024
When the first trailer for Alex Garland’s new movie, Civil War—a harrowing depiction of conflict between American states in the near future—was revealed, a wave of bafflement spread across the internet.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024
In his third feature in as many years — this one was selected as Macedonia’s Oscar entry for international feature — the filmmaker plunges us into a swirling eddy of merry but harrowing chaos among an unusual family.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
After a particularly harrowing setback to his mission in The Fallout, the new series from Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy (Westworld), a bounty hunter known as The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) makes the executive decision to change course entirely.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
The harrowing crime — and the winding investigation, which led to a shocking suspect — is the focus of Netflix’s upcoming documentary What Jennifer Did, premiering Wednesday, April 10.
—Corin Cesaric, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harrowing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near harrowing
Cite this Entry
“Harrowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harrowing. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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